A Strange Charm

Sometime last year Ishikawa Rika appeared as a guest on "Doumoto Kyoudai," promoting her appearance in the recent Sukeban Deka film. And while everyone naturally broke out the yo-yos at one point, the show closed with her performance of a 60's French pop classic: "Poupée De Cire, Poupée De Son," known to the Japanese as "Yume miru chanson ningyo."

Right before that perf there was a segment called something like "I [heart] Girl Pop: a strange charm which attracts people." What I loved about this bit was that it openly acknowledged something that is often just tacitly understood: most j-pop idols can't sing. Not in a professional sense, anyway, not compared to the small handful of legit j-pop "divas." And yet, for the aficionado, this amateurish quality in the vocals is recognized as a charm point and an asset, not a deficit.

This concept may seem academic to anyone who has followed j-pop for any length of time, but it often seems like the average Western fan has barely processed this at all. Trust me, as a fan of girls like Konkon and Sayumi, I'm used to rather blunt assessments of their talent. The word "sucks" features prominently here.

Not to say that anyone has to like these girls. Even the enlightened fan may have a personal limit to the amount of aural assault he or she can withstand. But those who constantly repeat the mantra, "ugh, she can't sing" are missing the point entirely.

When, on the same show mentioned above, Rika was asked what she considered her "charm points," the first thing she mentioned was her voice. Now, Rika knows she's not a strong singer, but she's clearly aware that her fragile, somewhat anime-ish voice suits her (and her fans) perfectly well. I admire her confidence on this point.

The appreciation of imperfection in idols is not something you are likely see in American pop, where producers seem to be bound by the need to create a diva mystique around their stars. This involves painstakingly crafting immaculate vocal and dance performances, of course, plus arousing/exploiting an almost predatory sense of sexual awareness along with an overall too-cool-for-this-planet aura. This is nearly the antithesis of what I think of as the classic j-idol (note that when I say "classic j-idol," I'm thinking more along the lines of, say, Onyanko Club than of Yamaguchi Momoe or Nakamori Akina - the true divas of j-pop history).

You could be ten feet from an American pop star and she'd never even see you. A j-idol makes an effort to wave at the fans in the balcony seats. The American idol is perfect, unapproachable. The j-idol's mystique is that of the "girl next door." Not perfect, but perfectly normal.

Even if your voice cracks from time to time, keep doing your best, Rika... Sayumi... Koharu... Risako... et cetera...

Ganbatte yo!

Onna ni Sachi Are!

Yesterday I geeked out a bit and took the time to figure out how many different lineups MM has had. Surely this has been done before... anyway, by my calculations, the current 9-nin configuration is the 24th lineup of Morning Musume. Eighteen of those are represented by at least one single; a few lineups had no single, but appeared on live DVDs; and a few didn't do much of anything and just mark transitional periods.

What does this have to do with anything? Nothing, really, though it might prompt you to reflect on what a complex legacy MoMusu has created over the course of ten years.

The title of their 34th single, Onna ni Sachi Are, is - like many J-pop song titles - hard to translate into convincing English. It's something like, "All the Best to Women," or the vaguely creepy-sounding "Good Luck, Ladies." Such a profound sentiment makes me reach for the Latin: "Salvete, feminae!"

Anyway, I enjoyed watching the Single V of this, but what really got my attention was the Music Fighter performance.



Of course, Ai-chan is the lead vocal on this single, with tons of solo lines; you can assume that she got most or all of the lines intended for Miki, in addition to her own. But only while watching this perf did I realize that Koharu was at the center (you can see her in the opening and closing formations in these screencaps). This is a natural move; she's the best-selling soloist of the last two years, and hopefully her young fans are crossing over into becoming MoMusu fans.



Everyone's on their "A" game in this perf, though that's not to say that everyone's perfect. Live in the studio is a harsh environment. But I'm really bullish on this group of girls and look forward to seeing them shine in the future.

One thing, though -- sub-leader Risa needs more of a push. She's really giving it up in this performance; these sceencaps give you a hint of that:



But she's always coming with it 110%! Give her a little bit of the spotlight.

(And yeah, Sayu's working it, too, but more on the sultry side.)

Can I Berryz-size that for you?

Well, naturally I've been listening to the new Berryz Koubou album,
4th Ai no Nanchara Shisuu, featuring their last 4 singles, plus 7 new album tracks.

I have no profound revelations to share just yet, but I'll make some brief comments on each track.

01. Ai no Suki Suki Shisuu Joushouchuu
Pleasant, almost generic H!P pop, but a good opener.

02. Munasawagi Scarlet
Great, funky rocker - my fave of the single cuts featured here.

03. Omoitattara Kichi desse!
(Kumai Yurina, Tokunaga Chinami & Sudou Maasa)
Fun, catchy - love that banjo riff - almost 'old-school' Berryz. Probably the best of the 'shuffles' (which spotlight smaller groupings of 2 or 3 girls).

04. VERY BEAUTY
The single that probably should have been an album track. I still like it though; since I actually like the Berryz' voices, I appreciate it as a vocal showcase, and that organ solo is sweet.

05. Waracchaou yo BOYFRIEND
Hmm, well, maybe this is my favorite single cut! Breezy, summer-y 60's AM radio, Tsunkufied.

06. Watashi ga Suru Koto nai Hodo Zenbu Shite Kureru Kare
(Sugaya Risako & Tsugunaga Momoko)
The softer side of the dial. I can dig it, though. Momo and 'sako are really the love 'em or hate 'em members of the group, but I love 'em, so that's that.

07. Sayonara Hageshiki Koi
Very solid album cut. Probably could've worked as a single; I'd love to see a PV for this at any rate.

08. Kokuhaku no Funsui Hiroba
The second 'ballad' single in row bummed some folks out, but this is a tightly crafted song. And for a 'ballad' (which is sort of a nebulous term) it's pretty 'up,' with a groovin' bassline - I mean this is totally danceable. A smooth jam, basically. ; )

09. Sprinter!
(Natsuyaki Miyabi & Shimizu Saki)
Nothing to complain about with this one, classic Berryz sound. Yet it's my least fave shuffle, for whatever reason.

10. Sakura wa Raku Sa
This is the weird one. The production is absolutely over the top. I almost expected to see something like "TEAR UP THE CLUB REMIX '07" written after the title. Of course it's totally addictive once you get used to it. Great album track, could've made for a very different kind of single. Note that the title is a Japanese-style palindrome.

11. Sakura -> Nyuugakushiki
Good, mid-paced, feel-genki closer. Could be an encore song, or maybe the last song before the encore.

If only you believe in Miracles...

Ever since her selection as Tsunku's ace, or "miracle," from the 2005 Morning Musume auditions, Kusumi Koharu has been something of a controversial member. Fans expecting the second coming of Gocchin were gravely disappointed; the 13-year-old Koharu was an awkward, gangly teen with no real natural aptitude for singing or dancing.

Or volleyball.

What she did have in spades, though - and I'm sure Tsunku recognized this - is what I call idol quality.

By idol quality I mean charisma, of course, but specifically those charismatic traits that are relevant to the pop idol world. And to be clear, idol quality is toned quite a few notches down from star quality which describes a person who's almost divinely charismatic. Those rare beings with star quality practically compel you to love them, whereas J-idols humbly invite your adoration. If an H!P member, for instance, radiated too much star quality, it would diminish her girl-next-door appeal.* There's a subtler, more delicate aesthetic at work in the floating world of Japanese idols.

Certainly personality plays a huge role in idol quality. It also has a lot to do with looks but is not necessarily about beauty. And it's usually easier to recognize than to describe.

******

I'll be using this blog to help me focus my thoughts on topics like idol quality and why I feel it's more important in H!P-styled J-pop than raw beauty or talent; why Koharu is so awesome (as well as several other oft-maligned members); et cetera, et cetera...

I can't promise that it will be consistent or coherent - in fact I can almost assure you that it won't be. Hah!

Ciao!



* For the record - and IMHO - the only H!P performer with undeniable star quality is Ayaya. And it suits her just fine.

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