Sunday, December 5, 2010

Mina's Ultimate Idol Ranking!

Well, for most of them they are going to be my favorite five members for each group, but some groups are on the smaller size so I'll bump those down to my top three.  The only reason why I called this ultimate because of how many different groups I am including in this.  I feel like rankings are a great way to get to know a person.  You'll see their likes, dislikes, prejudices.  For me, if a friend says they love an idol, it boosts that idol in my eyes.
Morning Musume
1. Sayumi Michishige
She has been my favorite of this group for a while now.  She is the most entertaining member which is why you see her make more appearances without the other members.  She is unbelievable cute, just like she says.  If you go behind her character you'll see she is really sweet.  She is neither the best singer or dancer, but it is the heart that counts.  She loves Morning Musume and other idols.  She gets a lot of crap because of her variety character.  She has been attacked by hate mail for her showing love for other idol groups and for her acne.  I still stand by my belief that at one point she had trouble getting along with other members.
2. Eri Kamei
The second spot is quite a drop off in my opinion.  Kamei has always been pretty entertaining.  She is an amazing dancer.  Her voice is sugary sweet.  It is going to be a sad day when she leaves.  She is kind of slow, well okay really slow but that adds to her sweetness.  
3. Jun Jun
Yep, I might cry that day.  We are going to lose another comedic element, and an awesome pairing.  JunJun is the most curvy member so too bad she won't be releasing a photobook.  I much prefer her with black hair.  She tends to make funny faces or unappealing mannerisms, but that may come insecurity.  Her voice has improved since she joined.
4. Lin Lin
I've only recently fell for LinLin.  She is hilarious!  When they asked what they thought about their leader, Takahashi, she said that she is Japanese.  She always talks about sleeping and eating.  She has an amazing voice.  I guess no more Mini Moni because no one in the current Hello Project line-up would be as perfect of a leader as LinLin was.  Please don't make her leave Tsunku.  She is still young! 
5. Aika Mitsui
My baby-faced, spirited, but also laid back puppy.  It will be up to Mitssi to comfort Reina when her playmate JunJun graduates.  She is the most unfortunate in the hair department.  She is quite cute when she styles it herself, but the hair dressers insist on doing it in an unflattering way.  She hasn't received many opportunities since she joined to shine, but I still have hope.  Okay not really.  Tsunku is a bastard who wants to get into Takahashi's pants.
Morning Musume OG (graduated members)
1. Asami Konno
She is sexy, cute, and did I mention super cute!  KonKon was the failure of the fifth generation audition, but Tsunku still gave her the okay.  She only passed because of her potential and because she was hard working.  Intelligent, athletic, hard working, she gradually improved.  She graduated from Morning Musume to attend Keio University, one of the top private universities in Japan.  She will debut as a reporter for TV Tokyo this April.
2. Miki Fujimoto
Miki Fujimoto was another success/failure of a Morning Musume audition.  She auditioned for Morning Musume, but failed.  Instead she later became a solo artist for Hello Project.  She was a success and gained die-hard fans.  Tsunku moved her into Morning Musume as a sixth generation member.  She became leader of Morning Musume for a second before she was thrown out because of a scandal that she publicly confirmed.  She later married and is now a popular variety celeb.  I love her for her honesty.
3. Rika Ishikawa
Another cute idol.  She always knows what to say, even if that isn't true it is sure funny.  Her interesting stories are the best.
4. Nozomi Tsuji
She has gone down in my opinion since someone mentioned to me about her plastic surgery.  I knew about it beforehand, but still. . . I can't get it out of my head.  I thought she was cute, but now all I can think about are how her eyes are too big.  She made me want to be a housewife.  
5. Natsumi Abe
She has recently made a come back into the idol scene.  Nacchi was my original favorite, and I will always adore her.
Berryz Koubou
1. Risako Sugaya
(I'm sorry that some of this is going to be cut and paste from my other blog, but I don't think anyone reads that one anyway. Plus, I'm tired and I need to study for a quiz tomorrow, and I have a lot of other idols to talk about.) I love her unusual voice. I adore her sexy body (and the fact that she also likes looking at her own boobs). I like the fact that she is still one of management's favorites even though she is isn't as thin as the other girls. I worship her little pout that she always has. Her thick, brown, curly hair.
2. Momoko Tsugunaga
How is my little spazz queen? Momo has a sexy bod but the face of a child, it makes it hard to perv on her. Here is the first member who I actually care about! She is packed with energy it is kind of hard to take all at once. She has a good voice and always stands out. I am so proud that she is going to college. If you know Momo, you know why I like her.
3. Tokunaga Chinami
I have a thing for the underdogs, and if that was 100% true she would be top dog in my eyes. She is genki, fun, and pretty.
C-ute
1. Mai Hagiwara
I like the cute ones, so kill me.  She has pretty much grown up as an idol.  I find her adorable.  She has this cute, spunky face.
2. Airi Suzuki
She is one of the most talented members of Hello Project and one of the most popular as well.  I still, to this day, think of the LOL-Subs for Shock instead of the actual lyrics.  I really don't know what to say for these things.  I like the members I like, because I lack real-life experiences with them I don't know how to explain.
3. Maimi Yajima
Now this last spot was pretty much a three-way tie, but Maimi tends to impress me with her photoshoots.  That boxer pic released recently was amazing.  One picture from the Airi+Maimi photoshoot was my wallpaper for a while.  I was impressed when she cut her hair short.  However, her hair is only okay at medium length.  Now I miss her long hair, but I do love her with short hair too.
S/mileage
1. Saki Ogawa
She is one of the better vocalists of the group, but that's not the reason she is my favorite of the group.  I just like her.  She has a cute little pug face.  She looks a little sporty.
2. Kanon Fukuda
She is definitely the big fan favorite, which makes sense.  She caught a lot of attention because she looks like Kago Ai.  She can sing and dance.  She is goofy, genki, and spirited.  I like my idols feisty, so that comment about how they have the best legs around was cute.
3. Yuuka Maeda
She is the management favorite.  She is beautiful and can sing pretty good.  She stands out which is important to gaining new fans.
Momoiro Clover
1. Momoka Ariyasu
Momoka is an amazing dancer and she is adorable.  She was the first one to stand out to me when I first saw their major debut PV.  She doesn't look like the other members because of her round face.
2. Ayaka Sasaki
She also stood out to me.  See I don't watch this unit that closely, so they don't get many chances to impress me.
3. Akari Hayami
She may very well be the best vocalist in Momoiro Clover.  She is the eldest and I like her look.  The management has a talent to make her up in an unflattering way.  First it was too much make-up, then that ice cream PV.  
SNSD
1. Seohyun
Okay to be honest, most of this is based on looks.  Okay all of it is based on looks and their performance.  I have little to no tolerance of Korean TV.  I've only found two films from Korea that I could sit through.  I think she looks pretty and she stuck out to me.  I like her for her slightly chubby face.  Her face was like Kojima Haruna's before she lost her face baby fat.
2. Sooyoung
She of course sticks out because she doesn't look the other members.  Her face clearly stands out.

3. Jessica
She is the only member, maybe besides Sunny, who can have blonde hair.  No that is not their rule, because they already broke it, but it is my rule.  Jessica only sticks out when she is blonde and it seems to suit her personality.  I don't even know if I like her personality.  When I first discover the group she was the only blonde and that is why I like her.  Occasionally, she looks like a playboy bunny.
4. Sunny
I never noticed her till Hoot.  I bet any K-Pop fans are already offended.  She reminds me of Marilyn Monroe.
5.Yuri
She seems goofy, but she didn't stand out to me as much of the other girls.  SNSD is hard for me because when I see them I just see a whole bunch of Korean barbies.  They all have long legs and thin.  I need more individuality in how they present themselves.  I prefer the girl's next door, so the whole sex kitten, barbie isn't really my thing.
Brown Eyed Girls
1. Narsha
She just released a couple of solo songs, which I enjoyed.  She has openly talked about her plastic surgery which is a huge plus in my eyes.  Plastic surgery is so common in Korea that I don't know who is all natural.  At this point I just want everyone to be honest.  (In Japan entertainment I will still be disappointed that they did that.  I still like their personality, but it makes them seem like they have a weak character which I dislike in an idol.)
2. Ga-In
She was the first member to stand out to me, but that is probably due to her short hair.  Her dance shot that she released was impressive; I'm a sucker for good dancing.
3. Jea
Jea is kind of sexy, sultry.  To be honest, she mostly got this spot because I prefer her over the rapper.
AKB48
1. Minami Minegishi
What don't I like about my favorite.  She is beautiful, like a doll.  She is a wonderful dancer with a sweet voice.  She is odd and energetic, which makes her a superb variety idol.  Nothing she has done, said, or about her turns me off.  She is an idol where I can not say anything bad about her.
2. Amina Sato
She is the idol that disappoints me at times, but I can never stop feeling happy every time I see her.  I think the disappoints come from the fact that I adore her so much.  She works hard and everything about her is cute as a button.
3. Atsuko Maeda
I try to think how much I would love her if she wasn't as popular.  She always brightens up my day.
4. Aika Ota
I do have a thing for the sassy, cute idols.  Another one of my favorites is growing up from a kid to a teenager.  (They grow up so fast. . .)
5. Sae Miyazawa
Yup, she has dropped a bit in my rankings.  I am thrilled she cut her hair short, now if she could style it the same way she did before too.  She is entertaining, but I am not always impressed by her performances.  She has a strong personality so there are moments where I am not in love with her.
AKB48 OG
1. Hana Tojima
The lion yes.  She tends to be popular with foreigners more so than Japanese fans.  She has this sweet high voice.  Her look is a mix between cute and sexy.  I miss her so seeing her comeback from the Top 100 is always fun.
2. Erena Ono
I guess it hasn't sunk in that she is an OG now.  I hope to see her in some British TV soon, especially if she wants to dump the idol image.
3. Rina Nakanishi
Yes, the AV idol is up there.  I am not too upset by it, but I haven't seen it either.  I guess she won't be appearing at any AKB48 events now, kind of like Kago Ai.  I'm glad to see she still looks good even after graduating.  I like the fact that she gaining some weight because she was quite thin when she was in AKB48.
4. Kaoru Hayano
BOOBS!  No it isn't that one.  She was a Team K member who graduated during the same concert as Mai Mai.  I saw a picture of her from a radio show and she looks good.  She graduated to become an actress.  Has anyone spotted her in anything.  I would think it would be hard for her to be casted considering her bust size.  She mostly did loli units, so it isn't the boobs.  She looked gorgeous during her graduation ceremony.
5. Michiru Hoshino
She graduated to be a solo artist and to be a song writer.  I haven't heard much from her.  She has a beautiful voice, but I didn't think she would make a successful solo artist.  I pegged her as something like Natasha Bedingfield or Vanessa Carlton.  She felt like a big sister.
SKE48
1. Rena Matsui
Rena really got my attention when she starred as one of the four queens in Majisuka Gakuen.  She played a yankee who had just returned from the mental institution who loves violence.  To be perfectly honest she still scares me at times even without the fake blood and creepy laugh.  Rena has also shined in all her units and is the only major competition Jurina Matsui has as the top dog in SKE48.
2. Airi Furikawa
She is also one of the strongest vocalists in SKE.  I first fell for her after watching clips of her singing at some anime competition.  She has quickly became a favorite of SKE48.  A lot of people say she reminds them of Takamina.  I agree, but not early Takamina.  She scared me when I first watched a Team KII stage because she gave me the Takamina crazy eyes.
3. Yui Matsushita
She has a really amazing voice, but she has been out on an injury for awhile now.  She has a really small frame.  I would imagine she would be one of the regular senbatsu members if she wasn't injured.  I fear that she might leave SKE48 because she can't perform.
4. Yukiko Kinoshita
I love her hair and I've always liked what I've seen from her.  I don't know much about any of the members besides W Matsui, so I basically go by performance.
5. Akane Takayanagi
She has caught my attention as well.  I love the fact that she is a crazy bird lady.
SDN48
1. Kazumi Urano
She was a favorite of mine from when she was in AKB48, so of course that carried over.  It seems she has graduated her Cinderella crown for a sexier look, but I like it.  I am always thrilled to see her and I can't wait to see her more when SDN48 releases their stages, hopefully.
2. Yukari Sato
She wasn't a favorite of mine when she was in AKB48.  I liked her, but I guess she had a lot of loli competition for my attention.  SDN48 have a different theme, which is better suited for Yukari.
3. Serina
I always love me a loli.  Even though she is tall and thin she is still adorable.  I love how she started to tear up during Show Battle when that freaked touched her boobs.  She has a cute smile.
4. Chen Qu
It seems her boobs are extremely soft, another reference to Show Battle.  She is a good performer.  She is the first panda to join the 48 universe.
5. Nachu
The resident comedian of SDN48.  She is that big monster who sticks out like a sore thumb.  I've yet to hear her real singing voice, but she never fails to crack me up (even when she is singing).

Fantasy! Juuichi



Released December 1st the eleventh studio album from supergroup Morning Musume has finally arrived. I jumped at the chance to purchase it (I'd never bought a studio album for them yet being new to the wotadom.)

First off, the cover art was a bit bland, compared to the others I wasn't quite attracted to it. I did enjoy the fact that they were using the formal gowns from the Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game PV, but the poses as dolls was a bit...meh. The interior of the jacket each girl had a pose as a doll on a couch, it was far better, and the dresses still look phenomenal.

Onto the meat of the album: the songs.

My first listen to the CD was unfortunately bad, of course at the time I was more interested in the Eurovision song contest so I wasn't affording the girls my full reverence. After giving it a proper listen I fell in love with a couple of the songs and really didn't care much for others.

Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game's album version didn't differ much from the single version, instead it had an extended intro and a longer gap during one of Tanaka Reina's lines. Since it is a single I actually really enjoyed it and the extended intro was wonderful, adding a bit more drama to the sound of the song.

Seishun Collection, the other single on this album was completely unchanged, and though it remained the same, I still greatly appreciate it because of the blatant harmonizing which means that all the girls have a voice and can be heard. It's a good wrap up to the album.

The other noteworthy songs are Bravo!, Fantasy ga Hajimaru, and Ichi Kara Jyu Made Aishite Hoshii. All three are rather upbeat and more pop sounding as opposed to the other slower ballads on the album (which I personally tend to enjoy less.)

Overall the album has some real gems but there are a couple that bring it down, it isn't as high powered as 10 my Me but I also attribute that to the fact that this is the second full album they have released this year, which (to my knowledge) hasn't happened before. I give it a 8 out of ten.



Shifting gears a bit, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO KEMEKO!

Second generation Morning Musume member; Kei Yasuda turns 29 on December 6th.

Please, For All That Is Idoly!

I've had mixed feelings towards Beckii Cruel in the past, and for me the jury still can't make up their damn minds.  I disliked her a lot in the beginning because I didn't think she was that great of a dancer, just lucky.  However, (not till after she released her singles) I've become impressed. . . okay not impressed.  I could enjoy some of her videos.  How recent?  Like really recent.  I've tried to warm up to her because she is kind of an idol, and part of my dislike (me thinks) derives from jealously.  But this isn't what I want to focus on (just some background):

PLEASE FOR ALL THAT IS IDOLY AND HOLY DO NOT RELEASE THAT NEXT SINGLE!!!!
She has already recorded it and uploaded previews, but it hasn't been released.  My thoughts are that someone knows it sucks so hard that they don't want to hurt her and the producer's feelings.  I'm not trying to be mean, but that single makes me naturally prepare to throw up!  Every time, doesn't take long, I start doing the motions like I think I am going to lose my lunch.  I won't even stain my blog with this thing (one of the worst songs I've ever heard: I am being completely serious).

It is aiming to be a generic ultra-bubblegum pop.  Which it fails at.  This style of pop died in the 90s, and the 90s didn't really produce anything spectacular either.  (I feel like everyone had lost too many brain cells from all the drug periods from the 60s to the 80s and even continued into the 90s.)  You either have to make yourself into a joke, and be awesome.  Or you have to be a guilty pleasure for the sexed-crazed masses.  Only cute Japanese girls can pull off this without falling into the previously mentioned categories.  (It is difficult to review because my ears are bleeding profusely.)  That is just the sound of the song.  The lyrics are also a complete mess.  Yes, a lot of Japanese, idoly, pop songs are about innocent crushes and such, but from that point of view!  It is from a shallow girl's perspective.  Some ditz, blowing gum bubbles, thinking how cute she is and how none of the guys are good enough to even speak to her.  Okay, so that is not exactly what they are about, but it is the impression I get.  The guy is afraid to make a move on a girl he has a crush on (and the girl also has a crush on him).  She gets bored so 'NO SEX FOR YOU.'  It doesn't help that in the unofficial music video, that she uploaded, the dancing isn't that great.

After the jump I'm going to share my thoughts and feelings about Beckii and the other Cruels.  Then I'll expand, but mostly to compare, with other dancing YouTube celebrities.  I also touch on fans.

For some reason I feel like I am better than anime fans, not 100% true.  I like anime and manga, but at the average Japanese person level.  I have friends who are otaku.  I guess it is not what you are into, but how you represent those with dedicated interests.  I only pick on anime otaku because it feels like every foreigner who is interested in Japan only cares about anime.  Oh you are taking Japanese.  What anime are you into?  Blah, blah, blah.  It gets lonely when none of your friends have the same interest as you (the lonely days of high school).  This is also one of the reasons why I prefer Gemma over Beckii.  What I care about is presentation.  What do you picture when you think otaku?  Not that flattering is it?  How about wota?  Adult male obsessed with under aged girls.  This isn't 100% true, but we all know that that impression doesn't just come from nowhere.  I love idols.  I care about fashion and my appearance.  (You don't have to be the same way, as long as you have a nice presentation whether it be your dress or personality.)  I want to be a fan that my idols can be proud to have. 
Mayuyu and I have almost identical glasses!
There is nothing wrong with being the typical fan.  Red-blooded men are perfectly fine.  Everyone needs an outlet that cheers them up at the end of a long day.  Just think, we are stimulating the Japanese economy (among other things lol).  (I know it sounds a little contradicting.  Maybe if I get a Psych major in here they can explain my thoughts and feelings to you better.)  Beckii has made multiple statements that have turned me off.  Is there really a right fan?  Beckki has suggested that she may not care for her older fans and she kind of dissed gravure magazines which many of my idols have graced the pages and covers of.  I'm not surprised because being attracted to underage girls when you are adult is a no no in the West.  In Japan, the lolita factor is more acceptable.  (I do not approve of pedophilia and such things, but lets be realistic here: people got feelings.)

Beckii has already abandoned the Cruel Project, because of some management issues.  I'm afraid that she the fame might be getting to her head.  In comparison with the idols Japan churns out she doesn't match in comparison.  Her dancing isn't spectacular, she can lack rhythm at times.  I was routing for Gemma because she is adorable and is more of a wota to Beckii's otaku.  Unfortunately, she isn't even as good as Beckii at dancing.  She also had trouble when she was in Japan, so she may not have the stamina.  I believe that they get the most attention because they are Caucasian, not because of their talent.  Beckii may be getting to (or close to) the same level as Japanese YouTube dancing celebrities.  I'll let you decide.





Gemma Cruel's original song sounds close to what you would hear from an Akihabara idol.

Friday, December 3, 2010

The First Look at Morning Musume's 9th Generation Auditions

The first preview is out and good news is that the auditions will be aired.  It will be nice to be able to watch some decent audition clips because NMB48 didn't really give you a good look or feel for the new members.  (Of course they weren't looking for under or about five members.)  I am thrilled to see Morning Musume will add some more members to the crew, maybe I'll start to be happy with the group again.  (I wasn't impressed with their new album so I didn't purchase it.  I am hoping one of my other bloggers will review it, because I know one of them bought it.)  My only concern is that Tsunku has been letting a lot of good talent fall through his fingers.  I understand that not everyone is suited for Morning Musume and he has to consider the other members and group chemistry and all that, but he still could of signed them like Mikitty.  I am happy that he did, in a way, because quite a few have been successful elsewhere.  (For example: Koda Kumi, Sumire Sato, Yuki Kashiwagi, and Ayaka Umeda.)  I'll let you watch now:


Now if you don't mind I'll point out the ones that I like so far.  It is always hard to tell who are the best out of so little, so it is mostly based on looks.
 Hello Project has been getting a lot of look-a-likes recently.  She looks like Yurina Kumai.
She looks cute to me, and well put together.  Usually the girls look disheveled and a complete mess, but she doesn't.  I adore girls with baby faces (round face shapes).  She might be skipped over because Hello Project doesn't seem like it would pick up girls that aren't really skinny.  They do have idols that aren't slender, but they didn't start out that way. 
It is the Japanese Lin Lin!  If she gets in we will see if Tsunku is racist.  He never gave Lin Lin a chance even though she was young and had an amazing voice.  I wonder if she is as talented and hilarious as poor Lin Lin.  
She looks beautiful.  As I mentioned before girls don't usually look that great during the audition process.  I just hope she can sing and dance.

I thought, to give some perspective, how much an idol can change (in presentation) between her audition and activity.  This is a finalist of the 8th Generation Morning Musume audition.  Sato Sumire is a current member of AKB48's Team B and is ranked as an Undergirl.
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