Mina's Photobook Wishlist, Idols & Dubstep, Provocative Dancing, and the Masterminds Behind J-Idols

Hello ladies, I feel like I refer to readers to much as 'guys' not that I actually think the majority of followers are males but in the modern-sense guys can be used as gender neutral.  WOAH.  I'm sorry it seems I went off on a tangent sooner than expected.  I'm sorry.  [What do you ladies think of the font size?  I was thinking the old size was a bit too small and this is the next size up.]


Photobook Wishlist [The Part Where You All Discover I'm a Perv]:

The news of Acchan releasing another photobook got me super excited; I almost bought it immediately.  I'm planning on going to Japan next year so I've concluded it is best to wait and just go on a shopping splurge.  AKB48 fans have likely heard this news by now.  Acchan's PB sales tend to amazing.  I personally adore her previous releases.  On that topic, the photobooks that I currently own are the following: Myao's Shining Sky, Watarirouka Hashiritai's Akkanbe, both travel diary PBs from AKB48, the third volume of TomoCawaii, AKB48 x Bijo Saishu, Acchan, and ATSUKO.  So if you are keeping track I own two of her PBs.  One was taken in Hawaii, the other in New York City.  The concept for this release is her clumsy side, which is very true.  Plus, it was shot in Paris.  I enjoy PBs shot in different countries because you see them play around more than if they were just held up in a room.  Now moving onto my current wishlist.  [They are in no particular order.]

1. Maeda Atsuko (AKB) - Bukiyou
2. Maeda Atsuko (AKB) - Hai
3. Michishige Sayumi (Morning Musume) - La
4. Ishikawa Rika (Dream Morning Musume) - hanagocoro
5. AKB48 - AKB48 Twenty-Four Hours
6. Matsui Rena (SKE) - Kingyo
7. Asami Konno (ex Morning Musume member) - Alo-Hello!
8. Kojima Haruna (AKB) - Haruna Kojima
9. Oshima Yuko (AKB) - Yuko Oshima L.A.
10. Itano Tomomi (AKB) - TomoCawaii Vol. 2
11. Eri Kamei (ex Morning Musume) - 20
12. Fujimoto Miki (Dream Morning Musume) - Cheri
13. Abe Natsumi (Dream Morning Musume) - ecru [or whatever I love Nacchi] 


Idols and Dubstep:
There are people who love or hate dubstep, similar to the reaction received by to auto-tune.  I fell in love with dubstep thanks to the UK hit TV show Skins which is known for their music selection.  If you watch the sixth season which is currently airing you'll likely hear it.  If you have no idea what I'm talking about or what it sounds like, here is a link.  If you frequent YouTube, you've probably have noticed popular songs being remixed with dubstep.  It is basically good party/ club music.  Just like how not long after auto-tune went mainstream in the US that it went mainstream in Asia, dubstep has followed.  I've yet to see it gain the popularity it has in the United States, but that may be due to (at least in Japan) the clubscene is different when compared to the west.  


My interest in discussing this topic was due to the preview of Morning Musume's upcoming single which features auto-tuning and the use of dubstep.  Personally I've hated most instances of auto-tune by Morning Musume, and Hello Project in general.  It doesn't make Shige's voice sound better but pitchier.  It tends to ruin singles for me, like with Niigaki's lines in Only You.  I'm waiting till I see the PV for this song before laying final judgement on the use of dubstep.  At the moment it sounds a bit like they just added it in there to try to be cool.  The rest of the song sounds like their past singles.  It is only featured heavily in two segments: the beginning and presumedly in a dance section.  While other songs I've heard from the west integrate it more into the beat.   

Now K-Pop isn't excluded from the practice either.  However, I only recently noticed it.  There was one song in particular that it jumped out at me but I've forgotten which.  However, when I tried to figure out what it was I found out that it was used in Hyuna's Bubble Pop.  [face palm]  I've listened to that song so many times, why have I never noticed it!  So when I was listening to it I was like 'where is it?' because the most noticeable time is in the dance section.  [I was probably too distracted by the infamous butt-to-vagina wipe she does.]  A strong beat isn't uncommon for K-Pop, but if you notice they use a small dubstep part used as a beat in the verses.  I had to listen for it to notice.  I do like the approach because it is not too overpowering, so the song doesn't sound like a remix.  But that doesn't mean I wouldn't mind dubstep being more highlighted.  Songs like Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj, and Ke$ha's Till the World Ends I think feature it well without making the only noticeable element.  [although that song is technically a remix.]  

Provocative Dancing:

I would like to focus on the example of the rookie K-Pop group ChoColat and their recent music video, One More Day, that has been getting some heat.  I want to start off with saying that I completely understand why people are upset.  The last thing I approve of is sexualization of children.  It is unhealthy.  I am in favor of banning child beauty pageants.  What the PV Guru Guru Curtain did I thought was distasteful which was sad because I did like relatively everything else.  


After stating that little disclaimer I now want to get into the fact that I don't mind the dancing in the MV.  The youngest members are basically freshmen in high school if that helps give you an idea of their age.  I don't know about you guys but this is nothing by my freshmen standards.  At mixers, dance parties held above a local bowling alley after home football games, it was basically a mass of grinding teens.  Does everybody here know what grinding is?  [I know that it was odd for my friends in Japan.]  It is basically a lap dance standing up, or the person in front bending over.  One of my favorite things at mixers was establishing a grinding train which is about four or more people in a line grinding against each other.  Now when watching it, it looks like sex with clothes on = dry humping.  However, I usually did this with friends and I never had the intention of sleeping with any of them.  Another story to give you perspective on my outlook is that I was dropping it like it's hot since 6th grade (first year of middle school = 11).  It is just the style of dancing that is popular.  Britney Spears was 16 when Baby Hit Me One More Time was released.  


So when I look at what they did I'm not too concerned.  If they were wearing something more risque then I would have a problem, but at the moment it only looks like the dancing is suggestive.  I think the moves people are most bothered by are ones relating to the chairs.  Personally, it makes sense if you think choreography.  I tend to be unimpressed by dancing with chairs, but they did a good job of it.  Then there is the camera shots, like of their butts.  I've tried to think of a better shot that would be better to highlight the move, but I don't have any better ideas.  Plus, it is not gratuitous shots.  So, nope.  I do not think this is inappropriate.  


[I've bashed Miley Cyrus because I think the situation is different.  If you are a Disney star then your music is targeted at young children.  Britney Spears had a break after the kids TV show before debuting as a solo artist.  You can't help who your fans are, but if part of your target audience is children you must take extra responsibility.  I don't care if you all of a sudden want to act your age.  You need to handle a careful transition, preferably a break period.]


The Masterminds Behind J-Idols:
This was spurred by my discovery that I'll likely never purchase a Johnny's good ever (well maybe with the exception of a concert ticket).  Why is that?  Because the man behind JE, Johnny Kitagawa, is a pedophile.  Now this especially pisses me off consider the strict code idols themselves follow.  It also disturbs me because the media tends to avoid the topic because he basically owns all the popular males stars in Japan.  This is disappointing because when I was considering doing a comparison of the three main idol-production groups I was planning on praising them.  JE has the most long-term success not only for the groups themselves but as a organization as a whole.  They've been successful for a while.  Plus, older units like SMAP and Arashi, who is heading into their 30s, are still standing strong.

Let's compare this to Hello Project.  Their production style, PV-wise, is similar.  You tend to see a lot of low budget, formulaic music videos.  However the main difference is the success topic.  I think everyone is aware that Hello Project has plateaued.  I thought they were coming back with S/mileage but they fizzled out due to bad management on Tsunku's part.  The whole member change element did it in for Morning Musume too.  At first it worked extremely well, but now the biggest factor is no one knows the current members.  The question is what will he do with Dream Morning Musume.  The group could become like SMAP or Arashi with longterm success, but only if he tries to do more than make money.  Both Johnny and Kitagawa, to me, seem only out there for the bottom line.  

I think the topic isn't 100% true when it comes to Akimoto Yasushi.  They've been employing amazing film directors to film their PVs.  He has also used controversial subject matter.  For example, a verse in Beginner isn't performed on TV because it criticizes parents.  They've had singles on sexuality, bullying, and SKE48 just released a PV featuring homosexual behavior.  SDN48's singles consistently were in the Top 3 of the Oricon charts, but he is disbanding them.  It isn't like he isn't making money off of them.  While he hasn't made long term success for a single group.  He has had multiple periods of success.  He formed Onyanko Club in 1985.  Onyanko Club debuted at #5, but the following single hit at #2.  They had six consecutive #1 singles.  If you wonder why AKB48 songs have strong sexual undertones it is likely due to Akimoto.  Onyanko Club was known for their playful, un-preachy, songs about taboo subjects.  I think Akimoto is more of an creative guy, but the record company and likely business-minded folk contribute to their marketing.  [Fun side note for Morning Musume fans.  While he was in high school he produced episodes of Utaban.] 

Watching this interview is very enlightening for a fan.  I've always tried to defend AKB48 talent-wise, so hearing the concept makes me appreciate AKB48 more.  I do think there are members who are talented, but there is variation.  I do agree that as a whole they could not compete against western artists.  This is where I see a difference between Tsunku and Akimoto's selection of talent.  

Change for Better or for Worse in Hello Project

A lot of H!P fans weren't too far off when they predicted that Niigaki and Takahashi would graduate together.  Niigaki announced that she will be graduating at the end of their spring tour.  They may not have done it together, but Niigaki sure didn't last much longer.  Although, I don't know why she didn't go with her.  I guess Niigaki didn't want to be overshadowed.  Now there are rumors flying around about graduations and new members being added to the other Hello Project groups.  Hello Project is being weird like that.  Their music and strategy at the moment seems to be to hold onto their core fan base, but with all the changes in members will they stick?  Or better yet, will the other members?  Key members of Morning Musume have jumped ship but that isn't surprising because it was only a matter of time.  However, s/mileage was a surprise.  

I've kind of lost interest in Hello Project.  The main reason is that I'm not very intrigued by their music.  S/mileage was a beacon of hope when they went major, but their singles following their first album were underwhelming like the rest of Hello Project (in my opinion).  I finally got what I wanted for Morning Musume: graduation of Niigaki and Takahashi and new members.  I fear that it won't help if the music side doesn't try harder.  I'm giving up on seeing Hello Project take risks.  I find it dull.  My new dream is that they quit and audition for NMB, HKT, of start a new idol group.  If they have ambition they would leave.  Sorry if that opinion hurts your feelings.  (Look at it this way.  I think the girls aren't living up to their potential.) 

Old Favorites & Recent Fascinations

BiS - Fresh Faced Idols?

The member in pigtails has left the group to be replaced by Yufu.

Most of you know by now that Japan and Korea are having an idol boom.  New groups are sprouting up and gaining attention every which way (sorry if that doesn't make sense to you it is a phrase I use. . . Midwest thing?).  One unit, BiS [Brand new Idol Society], has released their (major?) debut single and hit the Oricon charts.  (Another unit Kiss-My-Ft2, from JE, got the number one spot.  How is their name pronounced?  Kiss My Foot?)  They have an edgier image, rebelling against the idea that idols have to be clean and proper.  I saw them first through Pure Idol Heart and I responded well to the PV posted.  I checked them out on YouTube and I was intrigued.  However, I was a bit dumbfounded when I started watching their hit single:

I was shocked, but then I was distracted by some beautiful shots and realized they did a good job.  Nudity can be done tastefully and it reminded me of various paintings.  (My favorite place in LA is the Getty.  I went there twice while I was in LA for the first time.)  Once I regained myself I went wait, we are missing someone!  The member, which happens to be my favorite, is no longer in the group.  Which sucks if it was because of the nudity thing.  They found a replacement, but I'm bummed.  See I like variety in groups and now it feels like they are missing an element, and overly cute one.  I was a huge fan of t.A.T.u, still am but not as big.  They did a tribute to t.A.T.u. which was great.  But, my favorite has to be this one:

Anyway, with my favorite member gone I am a bit undecided if I should continue following them.  I will stick around to see how I like the new member, but she will be missed.  (Fortunately my second favorite, girl with short hair and extra piercings, is still there.)

Do I Still Care?

Hello Project has been luke-warm for me as of late, to none of your surprise.  Why do I keep bringing it up?  Because I still want to like and enjoy being a fan.  I want to keep one foot on each side of the river(?).  I got S/mileage's first album which was pretty good, mostly because I adored their singles.  Berryz Koubou still releases likable singles. . . I really like their latest at least.  C-ute has sooooo much potential.  (If only they had a different producer!)  Morning Musume has all those great new members!  Most of my disappointment falls on their producer Tsunku.  I mean, everything would be peachy if they had better music.  But who can blame him, he is distracted by the indie idols like Afilia Saga East.  Honestly, I've stopped caring about Morning Musume and S/mileage.  I'm paying them as much attention as Kiss-My-Ft2 and SNSD.  I've even deleted my tags on Tumblr for Hello Project and Morning Musume, which means I don't even want to look at pictures or videos of them.  I'm still rooting for C-ute.

Hello Project isn't the only idols I've deleted my tag on Tumblr for: Momoiro Clover.  The management just keeps pissing me off then Akari leaves and I've had it.  They aren't the same without Akari.  They look like a more miss-matched, older version of Tokyo Girls Style (who I am recently entranced by).

Oh, and I think Beckii Cruel's upcoming single sounds horrible and she isn't that good of a dancer (if you've watched her recent Morning Musume dance cover).

Rising Stars (the brighter side of things)
NMB48 (polished in very little time)
Tokyo Girls Style (avex is pulling through)
Hey Say Jump (their latest was a stupendous improvement)
Afilia Saga East (we'll see, seems a bit only fan service)
Super Girls (another we shall see case)

Recent Cravings 
I've been going through some odd obsessions.  I'm a DD when it comes to AKB48, so I shouldn't be so surprised when I jump from one member interest to another.  Today I was watching old footage of Ayaka Kikuchi, before she was fired.  All of a sudden I've missed Oshima's pervy cuteness.  Then there is Iwasa Misaki's powerhouse vocals.  I've changed my wallpaper to Kasai Tomomi.  Akimoto Sayaka's awesome~ness.  I'm literally all over the place.  Now I found some subtitled videos which has an adorable Takamina (I mean her hair and that hat are super flattering) and then Sasshi accidentally causing dirty jokes.  Why don't I dislike anyone within AKB48?  They have so many membersssss. . . oh yeah Haruka Ishida is the only one out of what is it now 75?


Am I Suffering From a K-Pop Phase?
I've been addicted to Nine Muses' No Playboy.  My friends and I want to learn the dance to HyunA's Bubble Pop.  I keep on hearing bollywood in my favorite Super Junior Korean singles.  I've been voting in Eat Your Kimchi polls.  I went through a huge K-drama stint while in Japan.  What is happening to me?

Can Happiness Be Considered a Girl Group?
If you've seen them perform or have watched one of their PVs you might of noticed that only two girls sing.  It almost feels like one center with a support singer and then a whole bunch of back up dancers.  I was looking forward to the group since   they were good dancers, but WTF is this?  I'm all for dancers getting a bigger spotlight, but can they not sing at all?  Their lead vocalist is spectacular!  I almost prefer her to go solo.  You see I adore Matsuda Seiko, an idol-soloist from way back.  For some reason I keep on seeking out her replacement or equal for today.  One of the candidates is Happiness' lead vocalist, the other is Acchan from AKB48.  What do you think?  I will post some videos after the jump to give you a better perspective.

Matsuda Seiko Performing on a Music Program

Happiness Dancing at a Concert

Happiness Performing on a Music Program

Acchan Performing her First Solo Single

Update by Mina!

I saw a group of teenage girls checking out this set up and pointing at the election poster five minutes later.

Well it has been a couple weeks in Japan!  Wow both Todd and I are in Japan and another one just got back not a month of two ago.  I have a couple posts in mind, but I've been busy plus there is only one internet cord for the WWOOFers (there are now four of us).  I have a Japanese drink taste test post already written on my iphone.  I am also planning to do a post about WWOOFing and my experience, my time in Tokyo, maybe a separate post if I see AKB48 in concert or on stage, things i noticed about culture and tips for staying/ traveling to Japan, an update for the Majisuka Gakuen 2 post, and whatever I come up with.  I'm still waiting to hear about my stage tickets.  Getting Super Enpou tickets for the dome shows, if they are available, won't happen because it will be past the one month limit.   I will still check out resellers and I've been checking the internet forums and such every so often.  Todd is also looking for them so if he has any luck he will pass along the tip.  Here is an AKB48 post that I typed up in my spare time:

A recent change of things?
Has anyone been noticing more live-vocals from AKB48? Not only have they've been appearing on Music Fair during their regular promotional circuit, you can notice it during performances like Music Satation and the Top 100 concert. It wasn't uncommon for stages to be performed live. Is Akimoto confident that messing up vocals won't hurt sales, or are their vocals so on point it is almost hard to spot. You almost need the mess ups or someone sticking out to know it isn't lip synced. I'm thrilled because as some of you might have noticed I've been struggling with this issue for a long time. I would still forgive them when it comes to large scale concerts where they have so many microphones to check. (I understand from my experience in the theatre and video news program during high school.)

This Year's General Election - An FU to Morning Musume?
I'm one that has been discouraging the fighting between Hello Project and the 48 Universe because I am (or is it was) a fan of both sides. Lately my interest has disappeared to the point that I will only go as far as watching their PVs (same as other groups like KAT-TUN). I'm in Japan right now and my host and their friends find it amusing that I listen to AKB48 and Arashi. During the senbatsu election one casual fan of the group (a friend from Tokyo who likes Tomomi Kasai but is bored with Tomomi Itano) mentioned that Morning Musume was over. He said something about their concerts that I couldn't fully understand. I didn't want to jump in that I'm a fan of them. In fact when it came up through my Facebook page that I was a fan I did confirm it, but I added that I'm bored with them at the moment. I don't have any pride in being their fan. I like most of the members, but the music they release I wouldn't buy. (C-ute looked the most promising but then they released their usual cute idol song; I liked the sexy dandy stuff they had been releasing recently. I do love the new Morning Musume members, but not the songs [Maji was good]. Dream Musume was a bust.) Sorry went off on a tangent.

How is this the election that flips the bird to Tsunku (more so than Hello Project itself - that is a better way of looking at it)? Well first, Sato Sumire may not have kept her senbatsu status from the 21st single, but she did make Undergirls. Ayaka Umeda, who not only belongs to the successful subgroup DiVA, is the center for the Undergirls coupling track. Now the most well known reject: Kashiwagi Yuki. She is the center for the subgroup French Kiss, she is the captain of Team B, and she sky rocketed to the number three spot! She definitely was the surprise this time around (but not that much considering she had the spot in the preliminaries).

Maeda Atsuko regaining her #1 Spot
To be honest I like them both, but I'm slightly more biased towards Acchan, so I didn't mind who got the spot. After Yuko defeated Acchan I was shocked. I became happy for Yuko who tries hard to appeal to fans. (Sometimes too hard, which turns me off and is the reason I had a period where I disliked Takamina and is why I still dislike Takahashi Ai.) However, I also thought there is only one place Acchan is suited for and that is the center. They are completely different in their approach to being an idol. Acchan doesn't try to be over the top; this can come off as she isn't trying or as sincere. I was completely for Acchan getting her spot back until I watched her appeal video. Now I didn't bother to fully understand what she was saying, just to see what she would do. It didn't look like she cared at all. Later I realized that she might of been tired because she is overworked. The number one spot only mattered to me once I saw Acchan's reaction to regaining it. It really moved me. (Her short Hana Kimi hair is cute by the way.)

Sad Face results:
Myao (The most disappointing results because she still should be in senbatsu)
Lovetan
Mii-chan (who I voted for)
Tomo~mi
Ucchi (She didn't rank even after being the champion and having a major part in Majisuka Gakuen)

Happy Face:
Matsui Rena
Matsui Jurina
Miorin
Acchan
Sasshi
and pretty much everyone who ranked in Undergirls or Senbatsu

Didn't Care Much:
Yuko
Mariko
Tomomi Itano
Harugon
Takahashi (Part of me wants her to get the number one spot at least once because she deserves it)
Haruna
Mayu

I've Just Been Thinking Lately. . .

Is Himawari-gumi 2nd Stage the best stage ever?  I watched it for the first time and I loved both versions.  I've haven't seen that many of the early stages, but this one had so much variety.  One was similar to senbatsu and the other was Undergirls combined with a ton of graduates.  I might do a poll to see which is the most popular stage.  Should I review it?

Why didn't Tsunku abuse the shit out of Mitsui!  I mean they gave her a couple of lines for each song, but after Yossi graduated they just shoved her in the back with JunJun and LinLin.  I mean, AKB48 needs to use basically the same members to catch new fans, but Morning Musume was small enough they could feature all members.  I know they have the whole Aces and support theory, but still. . . It is a freakin' idol group.  How many idols group have a high average age?  She is the youngest, fresh faced, member: abuse it!  Before they had four strong aces: Yossi, Mikitty, Ai, and Reina.  On top of that you feature each member with solo lines!  Now you have Reina and Ai then a little bit more of Kame and Niigaki.  You can't just have Reina and Ai do most of the singing because then, in theory, you might as well just do a duo.  But, as Tsunku knows, Reina and Ai are not a strong enough duo to do it on their own.  Remember Resonant Blue?  The only decent solo lines went to three people.  The rest were left as back up singers and back up dancers.  WTF Tsunku. . . WTF.

What is with all the up skirt shots of all the members all of a sudden?  I know it comes from a magazine, but they have pictures from a while back.  AND they keep on doing it.  It is not even their real underwear.  They wear short shorts under their skirt.  Really?

AKB48 fans, I understand you want to make a point.  But so do I.  (The most common example is RIVER and the coupling song so I'll use that.)  The fan favorite is Kimi no Koto ga Suki Dakara (the Undergirls' track).  There is a reason that that song was not the senbatsu/ main song of that single.  It is clearly an idol song.  The music producers know you are going to buy the single.  They know that you love the members and know them.  You are the fans, basically you are a constant.  If they just wanted to make you, and only you happy, then they would have made it the title song.  However, RIVER is appealing to a wider audience (hence it becoming a number one single and AKB48's breakout song).  The coupling song keeps their core base happy.  Fans will always have something to say about the main track, because it is the main track.  Now this might not be completely true all the time, but the standard for the coupling tracks is lower.  Like how I thought Hikoukigumo is a great third track (it is a classic and fits the Theatre girls very well), but it should not be a title or (2nd) coupling song.  Another example is that my favorite song off their last single is Lucky Seven, but I would never have made that the single.  I may like it better than Heavy Rotation, but I have to admit that Heavy Rotation is a better single.  I prefer KnKgSD better than RIVER too.  I also would not have made that the main song.  Also the senbatsu members would not have fit the song as well, but I wouldn't want the typical senbatsu to sing the back up track.  Does that make sense?

Idols do not always get along, just like regular people.  But they need to say and act like they are all friends.  So when I said that I am confident that Ai and Sayu at one point didn't get along; I'm confident.  (Cause if they were just joking would Sayu really have that face of disappointment?  I don't think Sayu is that good of an actress, plus if it was a joke why would she go with realistic acting.)  If you are wondering why I used that ->
picture, it is because Mikitty was on a TV show and she was talking about members she didn't like while she was in Morning Musume.  She mentioned Tsuji and Ishikawa, but she also said she is friends with them after she graduated.  Tokyohive (blog roll) has a post about it.    

ENK48!?!

Oh this is all talk, but not rumor talk.  Just Tsunku talking about his next big idea.  It turns out Tsunku, who has produced some enka songs, would like to form a rival group of AKB48 that would sing only enka.  But that's not all.  He said he would let them date openly!  He said this at an enka event, so it is nothing too serious.  Just something to laugh and talk about.  It is unlikely that Akimoto would give the license to use his concept as competition.  I've never heard a large group of enka singers, mostly solos.  Plus are we talking idols?
(Source: Tokyo Hive > Oricon Style)