Was the next to previous single foreshadowing? But as of today, Arihara Kanna has left the Hello! Project. Am I surprised? No, not really. Am I sad? Surprisingly, no. I actually think that she's better off not in the group.
Don't get me wrong... I'm not a Kanna hater or anything like that. But it seems that the fans have really been treating her badly. I've heard a story about the time when her first boyfriend pictures surfaced (apparently, according to H!O, there is now a second set? Or maybe this is the same set?). Basically in a handshake event, all the wota would deliberately shake hands with all the other C-ute members and then deliberately skip over her, resulting in her ending up in tears at the end of the event.
I know that I'm a fan of AKB48, where cruelty to their members seems to be their business (election anyone? I'll probably do a post on that later), but for the most part, I put that on the managers, since the love to structure things that the girls know when they're not popular so that they "work harder". Ha, or have a nervous breakdown.
Anyway, that's to blame the management. But with Kanna, I feel it was the failure of us, fans. They maybe idols, but they're still people. And I toast Kanna's departure and hope she finds a better future, and people who will appreciate her a lot more than we have (or at least the Japanese fans have).
I went to the concert! It was unbelievably awesome! I got to AX at about 10, but we stood in line in registration for the second time, because I went with my best friend and her boyfriend, and her boyfriend hadn't registered. Then we walked around the exhibit hall for a while before we got in line to get seating for the MM concert. It was really hot outside >.<, but you could hear the songs they were rehearsing.
Then we sat in the concert hall for 2 hours before the show started. I sat next to a guy from Japan who goes to numerous concerts a year. He's a huge Ai-chan wota, wearing a yellow shirt... and I tried out my Japanese the best I could, but it had been 1 year since I had spoken it so it was pretty broken Japanese >.<. I also hung out with Aaron, who I met in line for the MM tickets, and met Joel. I know that Aaron was a Reina-wota, and it just seemed like Joel was a general fan.
I had a great time there. Here was the setlist: Mikan 3 2 1 Breaking Out MC Intros Shouganai How Do You Like This Japan Resonant Blue Golden Age Medley (the exact medley I think from the all Singles concert) Love Machine Resonant Blue Coupling Song (too lazy to look up the title) Ame ga Furanai .... (apparently this song is about global warming? I had no idea) Announcements with Yossi (!!!!!) and Tsunku(!) with OPV winners. 3 2 1 Breaking Out Reprise
Some thoughts: *-I had a great time here, but the audience seemed kind of low energy. I really credit that to the inexperience of some fans, but I know that a lot of people there had no idea who they were, and didn't know their stuff. *-The girls looked super tired. Their energy wasn't up as high as I've seen in other concerts. I'm guessing they were jet lagged... they only did arrive 3 days before the concert. *- Junjun's intro was pure win. She said something along the lines of "I came from China, but I'm here with the Japanese group Morning Musume. It is because of this opportunity that I now know that music has no borders." and she did it in English! She's so awesome! I wish I had glow stuff in her image color. *- Best song: HOW DO YOU LIKE THIS JAPAN? It seemed to have a lot of energy, and it seemed the crowd loved it.
After that, I walked around the exhibit hall some more and then I went to the "Whose Line is it Anime?" That was really funny, but I wish I knew more anime so that way I could enjoy it more. I had to leave this early though and headed over to the Sekai no Melody panel. I had a great time there... they seem like an awesome dub group!
I had a great time that day... ended up going home way too late!
So, today was the first day of Anime Expo, and I got to see Morning Musume live in person for the first time! Now I've never been to AX even though I've lived in the LA area my entire life, but I just had to go this year. I wish my camera was in working order for pictures.
My costume: High King. I'll have to upload pics of this later, though I guess some people who take pics of cosplay have my outfit in their picture catalogue.
My first item on my agenda: AX Idol auditions. Man everyone was so good! I auditioned with Sobakasu, but I'm afraid I drifted a little on the song because of nerves and it was acapella. I saw Kyttyee and the leader of Sekai no Melody. It was loads of fun, and the judges were nice. I wish I knew who they were...
Second item: Morning Musume Q&A panel. I wish I was closer... then I would have gotten an autograph ticket. I was running late because of the AX audition, but it was so amazing that I could be in the same room as them. My impressions: Ai, Risa, and Eri are adorable. Junjun and Aika are very reflective and thoughtful, Sayumi is absolutely hilarious. Poor Reina had so many fans that asked her to do things (one guy wanted to do the punishment game with her... yuck) ... she looked a tad grumpy... might have been the jet lag though. Koharu was a tad bit annoying... when one person asked about future voice acting roles, Koharu wanted to do her Kirarin role... It would have been okay, but he was really asking the others for future roles.
I'm glad I understand Japanese... the translator kind of left stuff out, some of it to me changed the meaning. But *heart* Junjun liking the movie "Eraser inside my head". I saw that and it was so sad and moving... it's kind of nice to know that I've seen something that she has... I really wished that I could have gotten the chance to ask them something... I was too damn far away to get in line in time.
So I went over to the exhibit hall so I could purchase something for them to sign, but they were also out of autograph tickets. I'm hoping that if I stand in line long enough, I might be able to get something signed, but I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen.
I do have my concert ticket for tomorrow! This is going to be my first Jpop concert, so I'm super stoked. I'll be sure to post more about it later!
As promised, to make me feel better about not feeling like a shallow wota, I am showing the unsuperficial aspect of AKB48 that I love.
So, what amazes me about AKB48 is just how much variation there is in the group. I read somewhere that the concept that Akimoto was using for the AKB48 concept was a classroom where you have all types of girls, so it was not necessarily based on talent alone. While AKB48 has some very generic, cutesy idol songs (which more often then not, to my dismay, end up as their singles >.<), but they can have some sexy songs, some mature songs, and songs that just flat out rock. But with the concept of the stage, we really get to see some of the girls show off their vocals that normally wouldn't fit in the generically cutesy idol single songs (*cough* Yuka *cough*). So here, I included my favorite vocal performances. As a note, I haven't really watched all the stages yet (though, I guess I have listened to all the songs at one point), so I'm really open to hearing other great vocal performances that you readers all have heard. These just happen to be the ones that upon the first couple of listens blew me away.
Also, since I ended up with so many on the honorable mentioned list, I decided to make a top 10 list! Yay! (DISCLAIMER: I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT MUSIC THEORY... if you disagree on music theory/vocal knowledge, I would love to hear what you think ^-^. I love learning new things.) Most of these songs I put on here, because I have tried them out and had a lot of trouble doing them, so I'm super impressed by them.
10.Mail no Namida
When Sayaka's solo comes near the end of the song, it literally gives me chills every time I hear it... it's so beautiful. Whoever thought of Chocolove is a complete genius :D I mean, let's pair Rina, who has the voice of an angel... it's so light and airy and beautiful... but I'm getting distracted here, with Sayaka and Sae who are good powerful singers. And despite this difference, they blend beautifully. Unlike their first single where Rina had the only solos, this one allows them to show off their voices in solos that seem to really suit them. All I can say is wow. And while I did like Mochi's addition to AX, it's not the same without Rina T-T
9. Anata no Christmas Eve
I love that they both come back every year (well... all two years they've held it, lol) to perform this at AX. I did like Takamina and Maimai's rendition, but there is nothing better than when Ayumi and Michiru perform this together, with Michiru on the piano. The low notes are kind of killer, but it fits their voices. Add in some beautiful harmonies in the bridges, and then a power chorus, it shows that when these two graduated, AKB48 really lost two great vocalists.
Darn... I couldn't find a yt video on this to embed, but I think I said this before in one of my first posts, but this song is what put Natsuki in my Top 10 of my favorites. Every time I hear this song, it gives me both chills (because the singers are amazing here) and also a warm feeling inside. I love Mochi's amazingly smooth, low voice, and Kasai's higher pitch vocals. I didn't think Kasai would have fit such a mature song, but she nailed it. But the person that I love the most in this song is Natsuki. Her voice is strong and clear while still having an edge of something that really makes it stand out to me. It's so gorgeous T-T. Anyway, the only complaint I have of this that Natsuki gets the second chorus, which means when they shorten it for concerts (like AX... mark my words, this song will be in there next year! I'm voting for it!), Natsuki's chorus won't be in there :(. Anyway, I love this song so much.
7. Naki nagara Hohoende
I LOVE Yuko's voice. It's very unique, it's got this like husky quality to it. Though, I haven't heard her in recent stuff (... slowly catching up on that...) since her surgery, I have they haven't changed her voice. I mean, I guess it would be okay if Yuko got a cute voice, but the way it is here makes her really stand out. Anyway, I love this ballad. It interested me at first because this (before K5 that is) was the only solo song that was officially part of the stages, I think. Then when I listened to it, I got the good goosebumps. Yuko did an amazing job with this.
Hm... I can only find Yuka's version on youtube... but it's okay, because it's just as good as Sayaka singing it, but I'll put the audio have of it here. All I have to say is wow about this song. It's a solo, so that demands a lot, but not only that, it's an 80's style power ballad, which means only certain girls in AKB48 can sub in. In the Yuka version, it's amazing because she's singing completely live... you can hear the rawness, but this song was just made for Sayaka. Words can't express how much I love this song.
5. Higurashi no Koi
I thought it was only fair that I include both version of this. In Team 2, we have Oh-yay, (who I wish I had gotten to know when she was still on AKB48, but unfortunately she graduated before I got into AKB48) who's voice is really sweet and nice, and Deguchi, who I guess is on SKE? I don't know, but she's really good. This is what I will call the sweet version of this song. It's really pretty as a ballad, and they did an amazing job with it. But I love the Team 1 version of it of Takamina and Yuka. I'm going to call this the power version of it. I honestly think that it suits the song better with power, but either way you look at it, both teams nailed this song. After trying this song out myself, it's not easy... especially those choruses. They require you to stay in your head voice for some kind of high notes, which in Oh-yay's and Deguchi's version, they actually switch to head voice, but in Team 1's they did not. But this song in Team 1 has who fans argue as the best singers on AKB48, so it's only understandable that they came out with such an awesome song. This though is really my favorite song from the Himawari stages, and I will always vote for this one when AX rolls around, so I can watch live Takamina and Yuka vocals!
4. Blue Rose
This song is just so full of wow! I mean, it's awesome cool song... my favorite part being where they kick the mic stands away and pull them back up. This one got high up on my list because recently I did a fandub of this a couple of weeks ago (which will be posted as soon as I get around to posting my other groups besides Twin Stars...), and my god was this hard. It made me sweat just from singing it... I can't even imagine how this girls pull it off so easily. Anyway, you really have to power this to make it sound good, and then there are very places to really get good breaths. The notes get a little on the high side to really power them well without getting nasally, and the fact that all of them can do that is just so amazing to me. I like the Team K version the best, though the Team B version is pretty good as well. I wish they would stop doing this song in shuffle concerts though T-T. I really don't like Team A versions of this... they're voices are just too cutesy for it.
3. Maria
lol on the blooper with Ayaka's magic hair. This song is mixture of pure magic: take a religious-ish song (AKB48 seems to like them...) about the Virgin Mary, add nun/Victorian costumes with Tomo~mi-chan in a gothic lolita outfit, lots of rockin' guitars, and Yuka power vocals, and you get pure epic win. Anyway, I recently heard Takamina try to do this song in the JCB shuffle concert, and boy it made me realize that the only person on AKB48 that can sing this out of the park is really only Yuka. I mean Takamina tried, and I thought she did the best she could, but no one can pwn it the way Yuka does. I'm surprised that there is dancing in this song because it requires so much in the vocal department.
1. Dreamin' Girls/ Mori e Ikou
We have a tie for number 1~! Because to me, to have to choose between the two songs is a little unfair because they are both awesome I think for the same reasons Okay, AKB48 is a huge group. So, I LOVE it when they take advantage of it to do a choir sounding kind of thing, and the biggest sucker for having the girls sing their own harmonies in songs. I love these two songs because it really shows to me, a serious side to AKB48, as well as shows that this group really can do kickass vocals. First we have dreamin' girls, which is an awesome acapella gospel song. That's right, it's a genre that I have seen no other idol group venture into, which really earns them bonus points. Also, this song is so complex with what sounds like many parts to the harmony as well as different parts singing the "ah"s, which are also harmonized. So amazing T-T
Mori e Ikou is just amazing. I almost had this one ranked above dreamin' girls, but I realized the only reason why I liked this one better because this one had a kick ass instrumental. But the composition is amazing, and the girls sing it so well. It's a great song.
Honorable Mentions:
Temodemo Namida: This song may not be that hard notewise, but I've been trying it out because it's going to be the next Twin Stars release, and I'm convinced now that Miki and Yuki are robots and don't need air. If you ever wondered why the dance is so simple in this song, it's because it's super hard to sing this, and if you tried to dance, there wouldn't any air left for the last line of the chorus.
Junai Crescendo: Another song that I find absolutely amazing, and all the girls are really strong here. I love how their voices sound, and some of those bridges give me the good chills at how they do their bridges into the chorus.
Bird: A great display of Takamina vocals here. I really like the emotion that these girls put into their performance.
Seifuku ga Jama wo Suru: I only included this because this song for some reason gets covered by a lot of groups, but those low notes are kind of deceptive. The dubbers trip all over themselves on them (which makes me really appreciate the way that Takamina just nails it every time).
Boku no Taiyou: I'm not going to lie, this one surprised me because I didn't realize until I tried to sing this for a group, that the range of just the melody is almost 2 octaves o.o I'm sure there is someone out there who can tell me what the actual range is, but it's amazingly big.
Inochi no Tsukai Michi: Another one, like Boku no Taiyou, which has a huge range for the entire group to sing.
Nagai Hikari: I really think that I included this only for the Takamina (or Myao as it was for the month when Takamina was too busy filming Mendol) solo. I love it.
Wow, that's a lot of songs I've listed here o.o It turns out that these girls have a lot of songs that they can really show off their vocal prowess in. I really liked making this list because it made me go back and listen to a whole bunch of great songs ^-^. I may be missing some other great vocal performances, but I'm still new at AKB48. these are the ones that caught my ear when I listened to all the stages out there so far. Some in the honorable mentions should be in the Top 10, but I didn't have enough room T-T I had already expanded it from 5 to 10 when I noticed I had like 15 songs in the Honorable mention list.
Some of my typing is a little nonsensical because it's a little on the late side here, and I wanted to finish... I'll fix them later, but for now, enjoy!
So, sometime this week (or last week... I haven't really been paying that close of attention), the full PV came out of the new AKB48 single "Namida Surprise," set to release on 6/24, sending all other idol groups (when I say all other, I mean C-ute here, and really no bashing intended here because C-ute are totally my girls too) away in terror for another release date.
When I first listened to the song, I had to say I felt lukewarm about it at best. Maybe it was LQ previews or the disappointment I felt at the senbatsu, but I wasn't that excited to get this single. The only promising aspect of it was the voting forthe next senbatsu (which I was once again disappointed to hear that I couldn't actually vote). The coupling tracks are Shonichi (and I think it says the Team B version...) and First Love (Erena solo track), which I guess is okay, but as a fandubber, I would so have taken a Shonichi instrumental track over her solo (sorry Erena fans, I'm just not loving her song).
But then the PV came out, and boy was it a great PV! While very uneven with screen time, when I watched it, the first thing I thought was.... NOW THAT'S HOW YOU MAKE AN IDOL PV! (*UFA shot*). While it didn't have a completely blatant story with drama and everything like their last couple of PVs have been, it had a great story and amazing shots done. Now begins the pic spam + comments on a PV high lights:
The PV opens with all the senbatsu in a classroom. I assume we're supposed to assume that they're in the same class, which makes me lol because Mariko (not that you can see her in the classrooom scene) is like 10 years older than Jurina. Acchan apparently is a nerd with glasses? I don't know, but they look good on her, but I don't buy it.
Apparently, Acchan is in love with her teacher. I would be too if my teacher looked like him.
Then the bell rings and all pandominium breaks loose and it's time to escort Acchan to the birthday surprise hall, but with West Side Story style dancing down the halls. Maybe what we can't see is coming down the hall on the other side is Morning Musume ready for You Got Served-esque dance off. *sigh* I can only dream... Acchan dancing with the blindfold on is awkward but kind of cute at the same time.
Umm... guys? I think it maybe really unsafe for you to run down the stairs when someone is wearing a blindfold... oh well, it seems that no idols were harmed in the making of this PV (or I'm just assuming...). Oh well, I guess party hats to make us feel all warm inside...
And behind the beautiful silver curtain is the great reveal... AKB senbatsu birthday dance. Nothing says Happy Birthday more than a giant idol group doing a song and dance just for you on your special day.
Now cut from the dance scene and we get Tomo~mi-chan in a maid costume with a cake. Haha, she so would do the whole maid costume thing, and of course she trips and falls in the most outrageous fashion that seems to shock the weird extras that keep taking screentime from other AKB48 members. The cake is passed to Miichan, who then for some unknown reason thinks it's time to play hot potato with the cake and hand it off to Yukirin, who poses for a picture.
Lol at the camera that Mariko uses. Which some crazy prop with a CD for a lens and then poofs a crazy amount of smoke for every picture. But that's fine, it seems that other groups are waiting in line for their pictures before it's time to run off to eat food at what I can only assume is their cafeteria. (though, I thought that Japanese students ate in the classroom...)
Wtf old breakdancers! Stop stealing screentime from my girls! And also, Jurina, get off the tables... you're much too young to be auditioning for Coyote Ugly.
And a birthday celebration would not be complete without cake! Go away extras, no one wants to see you! awww Miichan's Pikachu cheeks are adorable. I want my birthday cake to be brought in by Haruna :( She looks particularly pretty in these shots.
I love these shots of them all in a ring from the top. Too bad some of the time the rings aren't the most round, but whatever. All I could think about was the massive amount of time it must of have taken to coordinate that entire scene.
Make a wish Acchan!
And now we're back in the gym for the final happy dance! There are some cute shots where the girls hug each other, and then at the end, 6 of them run up and say Happy Birthday to the camera! ... wait, one of them is Acchan. Isn't it supposed to be your birthday? I guess you could wish yourself a happy birthday, but that seems odd to me...
And another wtf moment... what's up with the curtain and wand star at the end? Oh well, it's kind of cute.
For some closing notes, I have to admit, I'm not an Acchan fan. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I am an Acchan hater, but I could never figure out why she got so much attention. That is until I saw this PV. She was absolutely radiant here, and that is I guess why she's the frontgirl of AKB48 (though, I would prefer it to be Takamina....). I'm not sure if I'm an Acchan fan yet, but this PV really changed my mind about her.
Anyway, overall, I give this:
Song: 4/5 stars (It was good, but not the best ever AKB48 song. Catchy though)
PV: 5/5 stars (so amazing... T-T)
Acchan star factor: 23423u2987 stars (yes, it's big that apparently I have to include a letter in there. Great job, Acchan! ^-^)
I'm including down here some other media:
The album of that I made with all my screen caps I made from the PV:
... would you get your feet even wet? aka Am I a shallow wota? Since this is my first time consistently writing in my blog, I thought I would take a stab at one of the Wota Wonderings that johpan posted:
This month in Wota Wonderings, I ask:
Hoping we’re not all shallow wotas, imagine your favourite idol (or musical personality) switched bodies with someone you don’t find “visually pleasing”, would it affect your love for that idol in any way/shape/form?
I really think the best way is to analyze this would be a case study of my top 10 post on AKB48 that I just wrote. Most people are analyzing this based on H!P, but since I'm more into AKB48 right now, we'll talk about them :P.
The times I mentioned looks for my top 10: (I felt that the ones regarding looks deserved eye candy)
I want these abs so badly...
-I mentioned Sayaka's awesome abs. (#2)
Awww isn't she adorable?
-I thought that Miichan was adorably cute like an elf (#6)
It may not be her gold bikini, but still sexy. It truly is her Amai Kokan-sex-tsu that entrances us.
-I mention that Meetan is sexy, but I think this may count more toward her personality (#7)
Okay so her hair isn't so big here... but I really liked this picture of her
-In Nacchi's entry, her huge hair from the past came up, but I still think she's gorgeous with her short hair. (#9)
In MegaTokyo, they say to fear the cute ones. Well, then be very afraid of Rabutan.
-In my honorable mentions category, I mention that I think that Rabutan was the cutest thing ever
Simply amazing...
-I thought that Noro Kayo was gorgeous...
Another one of those to fear...
- and Miyazaki Miho was cute.
The times I mention voices/performance skills for my top 10: ... I started typing this out, but it turns out, I mention them in ALL of them. (1-10 plus honorable mentions)
The times I mention personality: ... I started typing this out, but it turns out I mention it in all of them as well except for Yukirin. I got caught up on her 8th gen audition that I think I forgot to mention it.
So, I guess according to this case study, looks don't really matter as much to me as personality or voices. I think that a voice is super important to me (since after all, they're supposed to be singers...), but personality is key too. My all time H!P favorites, who are Mari, Yossi, and Yuko, all have amazing stand out personalities. Some people hate Sayumi from Morning Musume because she can't sing, but I love her because she has this really funny personality. She's narcissistic, she has the weirdest answers sometimes to questions during talk periods, but she seems really quick. I really should love Ai much more than I do, but because she lacks the personality compared to the other girls on Morning Musume, she kind of falls in my rankings. Though, performance skills (ie in concerts/stages), sometimes win me over as personality points, like it does with Risa. Captain of Berryz Koubou used to not be the most attractive to me, with her awkward photos and smile, but I couldn't help but love her when I watch her dance. She also has an incredibly funny personality that I got to see in Berikyuu.
But that's not to say that looks don't matter to me. Nakki of C-ute (and I apologize to her fans that are reading this... this is just my opinion) is a person who particular isn't the prettiest to me, and I really can't stand her. She always looks like she's worried, and her face sometimes makes me think of a horse. But then again, I also think her voice is kind of grating and fail, so I can't get into her. So, I guess that wouldn't count. On the other hand, I think Linlin has an amazing voice, but (and again sorry for Linlin fans out there!) I can't get into her because her smile freaks me the hell out. She kind of looks like to me, one of those smiling dolls in horror movies that are out to kill you.
So to answer the question, I would say yes and no. If an idol is just a pretty face with no talent, I can't stand her, and if an idol has a lot of talent, but I don't think she's pretty or if she freaks me out, I can't look at her. But all in all, I really am a fan of personalities first, voices and performance skills first. So, I guess that makes me not shallow? I have no idea.
And to the nonshallow parts of AKB48, my next top 5 series will be on what I deemed to be the best vocal performances! Stay tuned for it!
I've posted these on Stage48, but I am one of those fandubbers that's on youtube. I really am not that active of a dubber compared to most, but I think I'm one of the most active AKB48 dubbers. To be honest, there really isn't much out there as far as AKB48 dubbing goes, though Seifuku ga Jama wo Suru is really popular to dub o.o (beats me why). I thought my own stuff deserved a place on my own blog so, enjoy! I've decided to do separate posts for each of my groups because I'm too lazy to do a really long one.
This is what really got me started. Karyhoshi, a girl from Mexico who I met in another dubbing group, and I are doing a lot of the duets that AKB48 has.
Shinkirou:
This was our first one. Kary is Rina and I'm Kojiharu. I had to get help on the harmonies. My mixing is really rough here, but I thought this came out really nice. I'm really proud of this. It's so pretty T-T
Kinjirareta Futari:
Typo in the title, but another good one. Kary is such a good singer and makes a really good Yuko :). Though I did an okay job of sounding like Tomomi-chan, but don't laugh at my monologue D: lol. Nah j/k you totally can because I totally do. I'm not good at those talking parts.
Bird:
Words can't describe how much I love this song. We actually had another release, but since it's not AKB48, I didn't really want to put it up here (for now). This one is a trio with another AKB48 dubber named kyttyee. She was a nice addition to us. I'm really impressed how this turned out. So much so, that we asked Kyttyee to sing with us again, which you'll see later.
Higurashi no Koi:
this one it sounds like we're live! I'm Takamina here, Kary is Yuka. Not my best vocal performance, but I still love this song and this cover. This actually was pretty hard to do. Though, I guess what was I expecting with the two best vocalists on AKB48. Hopefully I didn't kill it. -.-;
Junai no Crescendo:
Another trio with Kyttyee. Yay, the parts were broken of as Kyttyee as Miichan, Kary as Kojiharu, and me as Takamina. I was really pleased with how this turned out, even if my instrumental I made sucks. the best part has to be Kary's bridge and then kyttyee's "sasoi mashou ka".
Okay enough vanity from me. I'll have a regular post soon, but I'll post all my AKB covers here for those who are interested to watch.
A thing to know about me. I'm not sure if you would say that I'm a diet and exercise enthusiast, but I have lost 50 pounds recently. I did this the old fashion way of watching my diet and exercising. And part of that exercising is running, which I have come to love. but back when I didn't love it as much as I do now, what used to carry me to the end was the music. So if anyone likes listening to music when they exercise or would like some music to help inspire them, here's my top 5 running songs:
5. Skirt Hirari
Okay this one maybe a running song because I know all the lyrics, but I love the feeling of the song. In the first chorus the lyrics say something along the lines of "There are times when a girl's skirt flutters as she throws everything away and runs for love." For some reason, I have this image of running freely through a field, and it makes my sprints so much more fun. Also, I love this song so much.
4. Love Chase
This song has a killer instrumental section, but for some reason I can almost pictured being chased (in a fun way). I actually haven't really seen this dance at all, but I can imagine it has a lot of running/changing directions. Either way, you can't sit still when you listen to this song.
3. Tadaima Renaichuu
This one might seem odd, but that chorus is a lot of fun. For some reason, it's almost like my feet move on their own.
2. Korogaru ishi ni nare
If you don't feel pumped when you listen to this song, then there is something seriously wrong with you. j/k But this thing really lights the fire in my soul to make me push harder and go faster.
1. A3's Medley
BEST. RUNNING. SONG. EVER. why you might ask? Well, let's start that it is filled with all of AKB48 classics, which I love. Next they remixed them together, and remixes for concerts are pretty much pure win. But their remix is rock inspired with this awesome beat that's perfect for running time. Also, it's 9:15, so normally I try to get myself as far away from my house as possible during this time and then after the 9 minutes are over, then I try to find my way back (usually winding). This song is just awesome to get you going and keep you going.
Honorable mentions: AKBSanjou: The instrumental is fun, but for some reason it feels like the chorus's lose steam a little. Hana to Chire: I like this one for running, but for some reason, this one works better for me when I'm lifting weights Seishun Girls: Actually this could have been in the top 5 if I had another slot. This song is just tons of fun. RUN RUN RUN: lol the title says it all. Except that it's a little slow and boring.
Okay, a lot of the new stage stuff (like K 4 and B3 and H2 and a lot of A5) didn't make it on my running list. I imagine that Mammoth could be an awesome running song too, but I would have to try it out. Okay enough from me! Go out and try these!
So, all those brilliant plans of getting a blog started? Yeah, so far have been a total failure. Have I really forgotten my dream of contributing to the fandom, have many people read my thoughts and feelings? No. I think the problem was that I wanted to make this an H!P blog when at the time I was starting to get into AKB48 and feeling luke warm about H!P. Don't get me wrong, I still love H!P, but with the graduation of the the Elder Club, the H!P that I knew from when I first started listening to it back in 2003 has changed and I feel a little left behind.
So! Here's to me turning over a new leaf, and the start of my blog for AKB48! I'm still learning who everyone is in AKB48, but I'll tell you a little about my tastes so far by telling you my top 10 members:
1. Takahashi Minami
Words just can't describe how much I love her. In a world where idols put up personas and play roles, maybe I'm being very duped here, but I feel that Takamina is genuine. The voice that you hear MCing concerts and the person who leads the chants back stage, almost like the leader of AKB48. She's one of the best singers on the group, and every concert/stage that I've seen of her, she puts her all into it. When I think of AKB48, I think of her. I'm not a Team A fan at all, but she's one of the reasons why I even bother watching Team A stuff.
2. Akimoto Sayaka
In H!P, one of my favorite members is Yoshizawa Hitomi, aka Yossi. To me, Sayaka reminds me of Yossi, but is even more manly but in a good way (I also think she maybe a better singer than her). She's strong, she's tough, and plays one hell of a guy if you watch Kimi wa Pegasus and Return Match. She can rock like in Blue Rose and her new solo in K5. To me, Sayaka is the epitome of cool (the way Yossi is for me in H!P). She's one of the reasons why I love Team K so much. Also, if I woke up with her abs, I'd be so happy T-T
3. Masuda Yuka
Wow, what a voice. Every single time I see a unit with her in it, I'm blown away. She's an incredibly shafted member who never gets any parts in singles (if she's in them at all), but is a front person in the stages. She's one of the reasons why I am dying to go to Japan so I can watch a stage performance (Yuka, you better be there when I see the performance!). Also, her Kansai dialect is incredibly cute, and seems to fit her well.
4. Kasai Tomomi
I was actually really suprised by how high Tomomi-chan ended up on my rankings. But as it turns out, I LOVE every single unit she has been in, and really partly because of the way she performs in them. In concerts and stages, the way she moves and acts is so great. I'm not sure how to describe it, but she really is fun to watch. Also, I think her voice is adorable... reminds me of Ishikawa Rika of H!P. She uses it well, and for some reason doesn't come off fake to me at all.
5. Kashiwagi Yuki
I've actually been a fan of Kashiwagi Yuki since before she was in AKB48 during the 8th gen Morning Musume auditions. I was really hoping for her, Aika, and Sumire (who is a research student now) to form the new 8th generation. I only got Aika, who is getting incredibly shafted (but this isn't about MM). It's a good thing though for Yukirin, because she ended up better off as a star of Team B (even if it is shafted a lot compared to the other two teams). Her voice and her stage presence have won me over, but for the life of me, I can't seem to think how her dancing is. Probably because I too entranced by her voice. If she, Takamina, and Yuka did a unit/group together, I think I would die from the awesomeness.
6. Minegishi Minami
Miichan is so funny. From what I've seen of her on AKBingo! She's kind of cheeky and amazing. I think that she's really cute (she kind of looks like an elf to me), and I think she's an amazing performer in stages. I really adore her. (this is an edit since html is eating my posts) 7. Ohori Megumi
What I love about Meetan is that she's kind of like the Madonna of the idol world. She's sexy, she's pervy, and she's not afraid to express it. And this would not really work in the world of innocence that is the idol business. But somehow she not only makes it work, she makes it successful. Her solo release I thought was really good, and her duo of Oshibe to Meshibe to Yoru no Chouchou with Tomomi-chan was absolutely amazing. She plays her role well, and I have a lot of respect for her. I hope she really keeps it up. 8. Miyazawa Sae
Oh Sae. Why weren't you higher on my list? I'm sure if I took the American Wota test again, my results will be incredibly different. How could you not love Sae? She's loud and just so full of energy. But it's not even just that. She was intense in Blue Rose. Cool in Kimi ga Pegasus. Sad (but not in a cheezy way) in Keibetsu. She really can mold her self into any thing that they throw at her. What a performer. I love her so much.
9. Sato Natsuki
To be honest, Nacchi did not even make blip on my radar of AKB for the longest time. And then a month ago, K5 came out. Then I saw her in Dakishimetara, and I was blown away. I was like, how could have I not noticed such an amazing voice and performer? It turns out she was always there, but as really good back up support. I've noticed in that first shuffle concerts, the Team K versions of A songs were always so powerful with really strong harmony. I really think that she is partly responsible for that. She's an amazing back up (and an amazing lead too). I really think that she's the one that does that awesome harmony in Itoshisa no Defense that I love so much. Also, I love her huge hair (though I think she cut it recently, but she's still gorgeous) and I've been watching a couple of the DVDs and she's absolutely hilarious (from the limited Japanese that I know). Nacchi, you have won me over, and as I'm watching more and more AKB (to learn all those other people I don't know), I'll be looking really out for you. 10. Oshima Yuko
Again I can't believe she ended up so low. I really like her great acting skills, but I also love her silliness when she's not put in a role. I love that her voice is kind of on the husky side... it's really unique, but now that she had that surgery, I wonder if that's going to change it :( I really hope it doesn't... but if it's affecting her health, then that's probably more important. What an amazing performer
Honorable Mentions: I have to make this list because there are a bunch of people that I really enjoy that were almost at my top ten list Noro Kayo- I think she's interesting and funny. Great supporter like Nacchi. I would really like to see more of her because she intrigues me. Oh and I think she's absolutely gorgeous. Itano Tomomi- I think her voice is interesting. I really love Tsundere! and she for some reason really fits that mold. Miyazaki Miho- She's really cute. And I like her voice and her dancing, but I can't think of her personality at the moment. All of Team B (except Mayu because I can't stand her voice-- sorry for Mayu fans!)- I'm not sure about them individually, but I love them as a collective group in B3. Ones that really stand out to me is the lead to Junjou Shigi (no idea who she is), Rabutan (the cutest face EVER... <3 her little dimple on her cheek) Matsuyuki (so sad that she graduated before I could really get to know her :( ), Cindy, and Nacchan (that's Natsumi from Team A's nickname, right?).
I didn't include the full list because there were like 20 of them that were tied at like 24th or something because I really didn't know who they were, but that's because I'm still relatively new. I'm sure this list will change as I watch more AKB48 and get to know who they all are.
