..AKB48’s new single “Heart Ereki” arrived a bit earlier today and Cdjapan seems to have shipped it out timing it perfectly ~* as their singles arrived right on release date (Japan time) as it’s only the 29th here but it’s already the 30th in Japan just past noon time. At the last moment I added in the type 4 version as its promise of even more DVD exclusives got the better of me =P so here are single types A, K, B & four…post upcoming ^^.
Surely a lot of scrutiny would go into anyone naming whom they consider to be perhaps the greatest vocalist they’ve had the pleasure of listening to over years of being a music lover and most definitely it’s an absolutely subjective outcome for each individual’s taste. Not an easy task by any means but for me personally while there are so many seemingly countless accomplished vocalists from generations past till present one name keeps coming to mind each and every time I hear him sing♪♪…
Fukuyama Masaharu♥ has long been one of Japan’s most beloved~* icons and constant figures as both a most accomplished musician and actor~…..his talents reach even further though as he writes, produces and has also charmed~* in the likes of radio and stage~.
It’s funny how the very initial aesthetics are obvious when it comes to accessorizing as a single cute~♥ hair bow atop is a constant and a fashion statement must!! Mmm but when you really dig a bit “deeper”….Blossom and Takamina….Takamina and Blossom….Blossom and Takamina….Takamina and Blossom…..and soon you can’t tell the two apart or you just feel a bit zany like I do at times :P.
And what’s so different about “Kimi wa, boku no mono” is that it isn’t shot in your typical “idol” way and what I mean by that is that it’s not chaptered into camera seducing♥ segments but rather “Kimi, wa boku no mono” is presented very much like a documentary instead and it’s very warm and candidly~revealing of how production goes on a day~to~day basis~....
While I think most everyone has either seen or worn seifuku♥ wouldn’t it be cute and sexy* to be able to witness the variations in style and the dressing and undressing of a most adorable idol~♥ as if you were her mirror on the wall~? Um…for educational purposes only of course :P!
~Every scene..a single brush stroke upon the canvas. Films to savor, for film making of this beauty and depth and scale don’t grace us very often..and the fates truly lie in ways of the wind. I couldn’t recommend two films any more than the John Woo directed epics “Red Clliff” and “Red Cliff II” and if grading on a ☆ scale these films receive 10 out of 10☆’ｓ。
Every now and then we’re graced with something so unique and special in music♪♪～, artists that move us with their melodies…relate to us with their lyrics and capture us with their hearts~. Sakai Izumi debuted as the lead vocalist for the group Zard in 1991 and for over a decade and a half her powerful vocals would resonate beautifully over 45 single releases and 20 albums (including compilations & tributes)…..she’s truly an artist that has left us too soon~...
Now @ 28 Fukada Kyoko has reached iconic heights as an idol who’s captivated and entertained in the vast opportunistic world of Japanese media where it’s most common for a talent to explore everything from modeling to television to movies and beyond~. Fukakyon♥ was born on November 2nd, 1982 and has remained with a single management agency (HORIPRO) since her early teens when she first began appearing regularly as either a cover~girl or featured girl in numerous idol magazine publications, then most notably with her early Bomb magazine appearances. Her acting career also began early in her mid teens and although Fukakyon is primarily known as a drama/t.v. actress having appeared in an impressive number of dramas which now total over 40 to date she also has a modest but noteworthy movie resume which includes standout performances first, in the dark realism of an idol’s world brought to screen in the 2002 film “Doll’s which mixes dark short stories and the 2004 cinematic~masterpiece “Shimotsuma Monogatari”...
In a musical era where AkiP has brought attention and overwhelming success back to purely~styled J~pop compositions and an approach as well as a product which resonates all that reflects upon Japan’s uniqueness…a purity which over the years has been blurred by outside influences of hip~hop…r&b…euro~pop..and Ameri~pop to name just a few~. Ichikawa Yui in hindsight may have been just a few years too early as she ventured from model/actress into music, too early for the old~school resurgence which is topping the Japanese music charts of today~ and in a lot of ways I think she’s been one of J~pop’s much more underappreciated artists of the millenium~.
Getting my very first taste of what could be Japan’s currently most aggressive all girl band! Four Osaka high school students with a garage~band aura? That was enough to pull me in and now after a little over one week of listening, “Temptation Box” is quickly becoming one of my favorite albums and where to begin?..there’s so much to say!
~Simply gorgeous♥, and it’s so much of what you’d envision of a production circled around one of Taiwan’s most popular, *sexiest* and successful models also turned actress and singer～ ＾ ＾。
Sooo what to do in the whee early morning hours??? Watch Dragon Half!
This is so much one of my most favorite animes ever!! I can’t even begin to tell you how much it continues to crack me up no matter how many times I’ve watched it! XD
Feeling tired (_´Д｀)ノ。。of your same old wardrobe? Want to feel the euphoria~* of custom idol♥gear? ………(゜∀゜)………。 …but low on cash$? Well now there’s a way~ to get a~hold of rare concert merchandise.. ..and its free!!!! っo(*´∀｀)o! …
1. The opening credits reflects so much of the show’s personality and is one of the cutest ever!! One of J-Pop’s finest, Arashi presents you the main theme song…here hit play while I ramble for a little while…
…..and the bartender says: “is it *cold* in here or are you just happy to see me?”…(^q^)
あっ！すごいかわいく～♥！！かわいく～♥！！！ Harugon, Nacchan, Rabutan, Ayarin & Mayuyu continue to be the cutest~* of units!…and I’m just listening to their 6th single I know so late XD! While I so adore Mayuyu’s vocals and we’ve had plenty till now with her solo songs~♥, but the more I hear Rabutan’s voice the more she’s beginning to become my favorite vocal in the group =)……and while watching the making of she just sounded so anime~like saying “gyu♥!” each time, like the cutest cutest cutest character you can imagine っo(*´∀｀)o！！
Firstly, I wasn’t ever sure if I would see the day in which SPEED’s all time record sales for an all girl group would be broken and not by a slim margin by any means as AKB48 has eclipsed this record (reaching in excess of 826,000 copies sold) which has stood for I think…over a decade now?..and if there were any single which was worthy of such an achievement surely “Beginner” is deservingly so~. At the top of the Oricon this past week, AKB48 has also eclipsed omg!!! even Arashi’s~♥ used to be leading single’s sales plateau for the year for a single release :O and from the outside one may wonder why this single in particular?..and why now?
In late ’97 a flash of J-Pop goodness appeared on Japan’s horizon in the form of a most unlikely group of members…in a time when “idol” groups were just about to break free from their brief hiatus of unpopularity there came a group comprised of 2 comedians and a very very cute Taiwanese model...
モーニングBerryz48...the morning after..... "Always wear protection before reading…(^q^)." 
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I’m so happy for you! They arrived super-fast. I’m hoping mine will be here in a couple of weeks. My own arrivals today (from CD Japan) were those wonderful B and C first presses of ‘Pera Pera Perao’ (the bonuses are huge fun, especially the events footage) and ‘Rappa renshuuchuu’ type A. You were right about how good the trumpet lesson extra is! I watched it twice. Mayuyu is a delight throughout.
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U~n the event footage where you you can see all of the interaction taking you there! A~h Mayuyu’s trumpet lesson!….you were able to wait to cherish it when it arrived =D…I know it’s often times easier said than done but I was thinking you hadn’t watched it just yet with your comments then when I posted it as I was thinking you’re very much like me in that regard that you’d try to resist until your copy arrives which makes it that much more exciting (you know with all of the previews which go on making everything readily viewable instantly)..I totally get that and I know that you know that too as I was happily surprised that you had read this awhile back when I was having a sort of wacky rant….
https://morningberryz48.wordpress.com/2013/03/16/my-bubble/
…it’s still the thrill of getting the release physically in hand and then experiencing it for the first time~♥. The trumpet lesson was so fun!!!…and with even Mayuyu’s little admittance there in the clip, she excelled amazingly ~* ^^. One of the only impromptu single features to rival may be perhaps Mayuyu learning to cook on the spot with that gentle elder gentleman =D.
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Yes, I really like to wait and experience the new releases etc when they arrive. I try not to look at preview clips as they appear on Tumblr. I’m never disappointed this way, for even if the A-side isn’t brilliant, there’s definitely something else to make the purchase worthwhile. Sasshi’s first single is an enjoyable song in its own right, but then you also get lots and lots and lots of Sasshi in the extras. (Just need to keep my Japanese studies going in order to properly understand what she’s saying!)
Which reminds me, I was watching the 22nd single senbatsu footage on YouTube last night. Sasshi’s speech is one of the most endearing ever. You’ll probably know this anyway. Watch from 1:03:36 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wg6YgzzcBzY
Yokoyama Yui’s tearful speech (37:52 onwards) is actually quite hilarious (Yuko is grinning throughout!)
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Sasshi has such a naturally humble aura about her and her sincerity cannot be stressed enough, she gave the perfect endearing speech as only she can =D. Yuichan did the same exact thing earlier this year at the Election results show =D!! You just want to hug her…she holds nothing back and you just can rehearse her heartfelt reaction in any possible way!! I had the same live reaction to Yuichan watching on that night as I tried to keep a live mini dialogue of sorts here:
https://morningberryz48.wordpress.com/2013/06/07/tonights-the-night/
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Types A and B of Heart Ereki have now arrived. I really love the A-side and the video. I’m biased I know, but I thought Mayayu’s look was best of all, with the hat and twin tails. But please, could you summarise the story of the video for me. I assume G Fingers are miming this time, although Yuki’s drumming looks spot on. Maybe there’s a clue in the kanji of the CD notes… But as much as I enjoy the A-side, I have to say that so far it’s the coupling song Tiny T-Shirt that has really caught my ear and gone straight onto the iPod. It’s so catchy. And the pv had me chuckling with delight. It’s so funny and charming at the same time. I’ve watching it several times already, so the song definitely qualifies as today’s brain worm! Can’t wait for Type C and 4 to arrive, but I don’t think Tiny T-Shirt can be bettered, Another fabulous release.
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Hi Philip, sorry I’ve been blog delinquent lately…so happy your copies of the single have arrived =D!!! Truth be told I’ve been holding off from posting this single due to our discussions about wanting to wait for our releases to arrive and trying to resist the urge to listen/watch them before their arrival. I didn’t want to ruin anything in case you were to see a posting beforehand and in particular with AKB~♡ ^^. Unlike my earier days of blogging like if you were to look back in previous years where I would be posting and chatting nearly every day and especially on weekends….lately I’m finding less time to get online and blog =(. Hopefully I’ll have more time to blog soon, again sorry I’ve been so absent here recently…makes me wish ~* I had met you sooner during my blogging peak years. I have so many messages to respond to…will respond soon =).
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That’s so sweet of you. Thank you. Really looking forward to your Heart Ereki review! Don’t feel bad about not finding time to blog: hopefully one day you will. Fortunately you’ve already supplied listeners with a substantial encyclopaedia of Jpop: probably the best in the English language there is! so we can read that in the meantime… I too wish I’d known you earlier on… As for Heart Ereki, I’m just about to watch it again, and especially Tiny T-Shirt. As I said before, this is such a wonderful release, and as much I’ve enjoyed the previous releases, this is probably my favourite of 2013; although I still have a huge affection for So Long!
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Hi Philip,
Sorry I’ve fallen behind so much on the blog and I was thinking that I’d respond in one place for some of the messages, I hope this is okay as I thought it’d be easier.
I hadn’t backtracked to include the shuffle releases of Salt 5, 7Air & 11Water here but you’re so right!!! about “Be all right!” being by far the stand out song of this project! I hadn’t listened to that song in ages but back then it was a heavily rotated song for my mp3 discs that I’d make mostly for car trips, so so catchy!!! I was wondering though what you’re question may have been about that release? Oh and so awesome you got the first press edition with the hard cover book which is YES such a gorgeous production much like the “ALL FOR ONE & ONE FOR ALL” release which is top 7 all-time H!P for me, and now remembering these songs you’ve reminded me of years ago when I attempted to do a proper favorite songs list for all of Hello! Project up till that point and here it is if you’re curious:
https://morningberryz48.wordpress.com/2007/07/19/%E3%83%A2%E3%83%BC%E3%83%8B%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B0%E5%A8%98%E3%80%82%E3%83%99%E3%82%B9%E3%83%88-12905/
I’ve been listening to your Untitled song 3 and I think it’s your best composition!! The flute’s melody over those bouncy piano notes create such a happy atmosphere and I love all of the transitions from like a verse to a pre-chorus to its chorus and you even have a wonderful bridge in there too, it’s a perfect ~* song. I honestly think you could sell this piece I honestly do it’s really immediately catchy and the song’s melody is way way memorable~♥. It’s a beautiful song which makes you feel emotions from its notes I absolutely love it!!
As for AKB48’s new upcoming single I had missed the first pressing @ Cdjapan so I ended up pre-ordering from HMV Japan instead along with I think it’s Kojiharu’s photo book which is in that order too.
Kanji flash cards are most useful and they keep the learning fun, a great idea to incorporate them into your lessons =). So cool you got a new turntable too and with your vinyl collection so massive and ever growing it’s a must have for you, and so sweet of your friend to present to you an amplifier \(^O^)/.
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Hi there! Great to hear from you. Thank you for listening to the song and liking it so much. A friend in Taiwan has found someone keen to add Chinese lyrics to it. I can’t wait to hear what the subject will be. I’ll keep you posted!
I love you list of H!P favourites. How you were able to work out such a list is amazing, as every time I hear a song I think ‘That’s my favourite’, but my top ten would have to include Morning Coffee, Memory seishun no hikari, Furusato, Joshi kashimashi monogatari, Motto, Otome pasta ni kandou and Last Kiss (Tanpopo), Robokiss (W), The Last Night, Ne-e?, Love namidairo (Ayaya), Sukiyaki (Ai no dai 6 kan), Aruiteru, Fantasy ga hajimeru, Sakura mankai…and I’ve already gone beyond 10 choices without putting them in order or included the highly catchy 2nd single from Juice=Juice which I’m hoping will be in the post soon (with bonus coaster)… I noticed the latest AKB48 single (excuse me for not writing the title!) sold very quickly on CD Japan. Kojiharu’s photobook will be awesome, I’m sure, and I look forward to your review, if you’ll be doing one.
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I meant to type Type K!
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