H!P LOVECRAFT

Captain's Orders: Have a Happy 5th, Berryz!

2009-04-16T22:33:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe that this group of girls (including their time strictly as H!P Kids) is approaching the seven-year mark of time served as entertainers.

That's a combined 49 years in the idol biz!

Nearly twenty singles and five albums later, well, Berryz RULE THE SCHOOL. 'Nuff said.

Oh yeah, I may be posting again. Stay tuned. ; )

Metallurgy: The Ages of Momusu

2007-10-18T15:16:00.000-07:00

People often refer to a fondly remembered era of a certain pastime as "the Golden Age of _____." You can fill in the blank with "Radio," "Television," "Hollywood," "Baseball," etc. So naturally folks who collect old comic books sometimes talk about the Golden Age of Comics. But those collectors have also developed a tradition of using terms like "Silver Age" and "Bronze Age" to differentiate between the various eras of American comic history. There is even a Platinum Age, which refers to the period leading up to the Golden Age.

Now, whether or not it makes sense to use this kind of terminology to describe comic book history is debatable. Certainly there is no end to the squabbling about exactly how those ages should be defined.

Nevertheless, since the idea of a Momusu "Golden Era" is often invoked, I thought it might be fun to break down the entire MM history into comic-style ages. In light of the upcoming ALL SINGLES COMPLETE ~10th ANNIVERSARY~ release, the time is ripe to review MM history in such a way, specifically focusing on the singles.

Please note: this is just for fun and not to be taken too seriously.

Platinum Age (1997-1999)

00 Ai no Tane
01 Morning Coffee
02 Summer Night Town
03 Daite HOLD ON ME!
04 Memory Seishun no Hikari
05 Manatsu no Kousen
06 Furusato

OK, this one's easy. Everyone knows that the Golden Era began with LOVE Machine, so let's say the preceding singles make up the Platinum Age. Stylistically, this era clearly stands apart from the others, though the disco grooves of Summer Night Town and Daite HOLD ON ME! would carry over into megahits like LM and RR21.

While LOVE Machine was a true phenomenon, the group was already very popular during the early days; no one could complain about their sales during this period, especially compared to the lean times of today. This era is also notable for Nacchi's emergence as a front girl and a star in her own right. Even though her solo career has been rather modest, I always think of Nacchi as the Queen of H!P.

Golden Age (1999-2002)

07 LOVE Machine
08 Koi no Dance Site
09 Happy Summer Wedding
10 I WISH
11 Renai Revolution 21
12 The Peace!
13 Mr. Moonlight ~Ai no Big Band~
14 Souda! We're ALIVE
15 Do it! Now

The Golden Age was heralded not only by the addition of Gocchin to the ranks, but also by the arrival of the arranger known as Dance*Man. Dance*Man brought a buoyant, fun and funky edge to Tsunku's compositions, and definitely enhanced the commercial appeal of the Momusu singles he arranged. But while it seemed like a partnership made in heaven, Tsunku and Dance*Man eventually had a falling out, perhaps due to those darned inevitable "creative differences." Dance*Man would depart after Souda!, never to return.

After the next single (Do it! Now) Gocchin would graduate. This makes a tidy endpoint for the Golden Age, in my estimation.

Silver Age (2002-2004)

16 Koko ni Iruzee!
17 Morning Musume no Hyokkori Hyoutanjima
18 AS FOR ONE DAY
19 Shabondama
20 Go Girl ~Koi no Victory~
21 Ai Araba IT'S ALL RIGHT
22 Roman ~MY DEAR BOY~
23 Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari

To me, the transition to the Silver Age is marked by a decline in sales, but not necessarily in quality. There is something timeless about the best Golden Age songs, but many of these Silver Age songs are every bit as fun and even more exuberant, in some cases.

The addition of Sixth Gen during this era swelled Momusu's ranks to an incredible 15 members. Which led to the creation of the subgroups, or gumi, Otomegumi and Sakuragumi; you could reasonably add their singles to this list as well.

I've capped off this era with Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari, the last single for the "Top Two," who would graduate to concentrate on their unit W for an all-too-brief time.

Bronze Age (2004-2007)

24 Namida ga Tomaranai Houkago
25 The Manpower!!!
26 Osaka Koi no Uta
27 Iroppoi Jirettai
28 Chokkan 2 ~Nogashita Sakana wa Ookiizo!~
29 SEXY BOY ~Soyokaze ni Yorisotte~
30 Ambitious! Yashinteki de Ii Jan
31 Aruiteru
32 Egao YES Nude
33 Kanashimi Twilight

The first few singles of this era mark a transitional period as Kaori, Rika and Mari take their leave, while the "Miracle" Koharu joins with Iroppoi Jirettai. But Koharu wasn't exactly the ace that some were expecting and by the time SEXY BOY was released sales would dip below 50k for the first time in, well, ever.

Compared to the wildly creative Golden Age, songs from the Bronze Age sometimes seem a little too straightforward and with declining budgets the videos can tend toward the plainer side. Not that the songs are bad at all, some of them are great. And the video for Kanashimi Twilight, for instance, is minimalist but very effective.

Despite all the doom-saying in fandom, any rumors of Morning Musume's demise have been greatly exaggerated. They scored a number one hit with Aruiteru, and Kanashimi Twilight's sales broke the 60k mark. But KT would be the last single for high profile members Yossie and Miki.

Panda Age (2007-)

34 Onna ni Sachi Are

Obviously, the title for this age is a bit tongue-in-cheek. ; )

Take out Yossie and Miki, add Eighth Gen and we have Morning Musume: The Next Generation. There's something so fresh about this group -- even though it seems to be lacking in powerhouse members, this may be my favorite lineup of the last couple of years.

Aika has been slightly overshadowed by the Chinese members, but I think she's developing beautifully. Jun Jun and Lin Lin are a hoot, and I look forward to following their wide-eyed adventures in a brave new j-pop world. I love the Ai/Risa leadership, Koharu is starting to display the star qualities that Tsunku saw in her, and Sixth Gen is never less than absolutely adorable.

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So what does the future hold for Momusu? Is a new Golden Age on the horizon?

Well, probably not. It's hard to visualize them capturing the imagination of the public again in the same way LOVE Machine did. Girl idols are a niche market, for now. But trends go in cycles, so you never know. And who can say where this Asian Invasion will lead?

Come what may, here's to the next ten years!

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POP

2007-09-19T16:47:00.000-07:00

Briefly, I just wanted to share some previews of Koha's upcoming photobook, POP. Click on the images to enlarge.

I particularly love this first one.

Honestly, I didn't pay much attention to her first PB. But it's amazing how she's blossomed as an idol over the course of her two years with Hello! Project.

Kusumi! Kusumi!

A Strange Charm

2007-08-23T23:30:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-08-08T17:29:00.000-07:00

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?

2007-08-02T21:53:00.001-07:00

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...

2007-08-01T17:31:00.000-07:00

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.

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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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Hajimemashite!

2007-07-31T14:23:00.000-07:00

Soon I will be using this space to jot down some random musings on Hello! Project, J-Idol culture and whatever else crosses my mind.

Stay tuned!