B.L.T.’s sizzle girls of Winter…

Manoeri continues her covergirl streak of late as she graces the cover of B.LT. 's U17 Vol. 9 issue…and while previously I've only owned a special commemorative issue of B.L.T. (lol not bacon, lettuce & tomato although that would be highly amusing!! XD ) which featured Momusu's landmark anniversary of 10 years this issue was for sure a must have as Manoeri continues to look dazzling on the cover!

For anyone possibly interested in subscribing to B.L.T. the magazine is very similar to UTB's current format in both size which measures  an impressive 11 3/4" X 8 1/4" and its flat spine glossy design which gives magazines a bit of a more sophisticated appearance. This issue in particular contains 96 pages of full color features covering numerous up and coming idols and also included 5 randomly inserted trading cards out of a variety of 18 possibilities. ^ ^

Luckily one of the random trading cards turned out to be one of Manoeri's which makes this issue even a bit sweeter♪♪. And for any H!P fans out there volume 9 not only features a radiant Manoeri on its cover but in addition you'll find full extended pictorial features on both Cu-te's Nakajima Saki and Berryz Koubou's ever adorable Sugaya Risako! ^ ^

I apologize for not being able to include all of the two page gatefold style photos in the following scans as I'd never be able to connect them together seamlessly..(>_<), but I included the rest of the H!P girl's features which follow. B.L.T. is quite an impressive publication which would suit any idol fan I imagine and I also would like to stress in addition to wonderful photography througout, B.L.T.'s pictorials are also quite extensive in nature with many of their featured idols having pictorials of up to 12 pages each!! And B.L.T. is definitey a visual publication as it doesn't feature many articles outside of the pictorials themselves….so if you love cute pictures and are looking for a magazine which solely focuses on idol photography, then this is definitely a magazine worth looking into.


Some of the absolutely most adorable Riichan photos that I've seen yet!! ( ̄▽ ̄) She has one of the most wonderful smiles~!

Riichan's heart pendant is somewhat reminiscent of her ♥ T-shirt design…..could it be an official UFA collectible?

~Kawaii!!~


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And to celebrate the return of baseball season…..and of course provide your daily recommended percentage of *cute*, here's the ever adorable Manoeri~! (*´∀`*)♥

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Your supermarket fantasy envisioned…(^q^)

So you've gone grocery shopping…….edamame..hai~..chiizu? (lactose free?)..pan..hai~..tofu..hai~..ringo~hai, mikan..hai~, gyuunyuu??? E~h? 誰の夢ですかい?and suddenly the entire atmosphere has gone intensely surreal。。。

Hmm…guys gets the pretty girl mid air and makes it home in time for dinner! XD (that will somewhat make more "sense" after you've watched the pv =) )

Mr.Children, has never been known to produce "cute" pvs but has done just that with their release of their pv clips from 2007-2008 which includes a most visually ecstatic video for their album track "Esora." This is by far my overall favorite album of 2008….lol big surprise! XD But to think that Mr.Children hasn't released an official pv DVD collection since 1997 is simply mind boggling especially when one considers the current trends that other artists/groups currently employ with accompaning pv DVD releases for all or nearly every single release. To put it all in perspective….Mr.Children's sole official pv collection "ALIVE" (pictured left) is still only on VHS………(._.;).

Mr.Children's "Supermarket Fantasy" can be ordered here at Cdjapan (note that the LE w/DVD is out of print).

Mr.Children's "Supermarket Fantasy" can be ordered here from YesAsia (note that the LE w/DVD is out of print)

"Supermarket Fantasy" is Mr.Children's 17th album release overall (including compilation & live releases) and while this most elite group has gone full circle in musical terms ("click" for Mr.Children post) their latest offering gives longtime fans a musical experience which touches not only on the culmination of their long musical growth and journey to this point, but also distinct poignant compositions which mirror their origins as seen through seasoned eyes of Sakurai's immaculate songwriting and uncanny ability to enfuse relatable emotions deeply within each of them. In parallel Sakai Izumi of Zard accomplished much the same as she also had a most powerful and heartfelt way of connecting with the listener by going further than just producing lyrics/music which were alluring and catchy, adding to that a sense of everyday realism and understanding which has endeared fans for years building a most solid fanbase. 

I've chosen to upload just a few highlights from "Supermarket Fantasy" as to not prolong my personal euphoria any further than necessary! (・д・`*) As any longtime reader here probably most likely knows……I so ♥ pvs and the uncomparable power that they present for music releases so I've included 4 pvs along with two mp3s which encompasses my overall love of this album release and it's accompanying pv DVD…..yes~! pvs!!! ………(゜∀゜)………。

Mr.Children "Esora" pv (really sweet and cute cute cute cute!…mite ne!)

Truly the cutest pv Mr.Children has released to date!! And while they haven't in particular been known for such a sugary description the visuals here are pure ♥~…..soaring grocery carts?…flying candy?…the unforgettable embrace in aisle 5?…and a subtle touch of The Beatles in airborne member visuals? And the song?…..amazing! ^ ^ "Esora" will delight longtime fans as it really captures so much of their youthful songwriting in so many ways taking the listener back to the very origins of Mr.Children's inspirational compositions. The jingly overtones of the pre-chorus and interludes so reminiscent of yesteryear and the pv will make you sense such an euphoric sensation I promise!! ~~~ Classic J-Pop? An emphatic ~yes~!

This image makes me giddy!!…I'm beside myself…(^q^)

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~♥~

Next is "Hanabi", my favorite song of 2008…..although it was close with another song! XD

Mr.Children "Hanabi" pv

There's something very Beatles "cavern" in the visuals here and the limited lighting early on adds a nice dramatic feeling to the pv but I what I most love is the garage band aura held througout the video. Some songs just impact you instantly with engaging lyrics and heartfelt melodies♪♪ ……………here's "Hanabi."

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NHK's Olympic theme song was also released as a single…..Mr.Children's "Gift."

Mr.Children "Gift" pv

The manipulation of time creates some dramatic and wonderfully emphatic visuals for Mr.Children's pv "Gift." When slowed to fractions of a second seemingly simple observations take on an entirely new life of their own and it all culminates into a wonderful vision at the pv's end…………stay tuned till the end of the pv for one of Mother Nature's most beautiful miracles. ^ ^

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美しいでしょうね!

I know that I've posted Mr.Children's "Tabidachi no uta" here before but this live performance deserves an encore….

Music♪♪ just doesn't get any more moving or beautiful than this…..I'm unable to speak anything worthy, so…

Mr.Children "Tabidachi no uta" (live version)

And lastly…two more beloved tracks……"Tokyo" (a really cute song!) and "Koe"….(a mesmerizing melody…I just ♥ Sakurai's phrasing here.)

09 東京
Mr.Children

04 声
Mr.Children

…and now your supermarket fantasy has ended………….mou nemutai ne~…

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Click, play…repeat as necessary!……………….. ………(゜∀゜)………。

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…I've been watching this all day but now sleepy time calls…..I'll ramble thoughts on the single later. Where did the entire day go? "Arashi ( ̄▽ ̄)♥~."

Arashi "Believe" pv

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嵐 2009.04 -> 2010.03 calendar (diary scans complete)

嵐

Arashi's new calendar arrives just in time for spring and is just as impressive as last year's offering. Johnny's calendars correspond with Japan's school year beginning in April covering an entire year till March of the next year and while last year's offering included a diary style desk calendar and original member recipe/photo booklet, this year's release gives fans a wonderful hanging wall style calendar, sticker sheet as well as a once again most amazing diary style daily planner!

Arashi's 2009.04 -> 2010.03 calendar can be ordered here from YesAsia.

By ways of ingenius packaging Arashi's wall style calendar which measures approximately 17 1/2" X 11 3/4" is housed in a box nearly half it's size while not having it creased or damaged in any way of course!!

This year's diary desk style calendar is a beautiful and sturdily constructed hard cover book with a flat spine which measures approximately 8 1/2" X 6" and includes an impressive 126 pages of Arashi member photographs all intermingled with your daily functional note style calendar which covers 2 weeks per page.

Now no matter what age you are….who doesn't absolutely love stickers!!!! And Arashi's come in the form of a wonderfully glossy sheet which is covered with glittery-sparkling hologram goodness~!

The stickers are attached by perforation and with a great deal of care can be detached from the reverse side of the wall calendar's top edge. ^ ^

So first I was thinking to myself…….just how will I be able to scan the wall calendar as it's over twice the size of my scanner's surface area and being that you so wouldn't want to see me attempt to connect images in any way (even if I knew how..(._.;) ) luckily the sticker's images mirror those of the wall calendar's pages ( ̄▽ ̄).

The hazy fuzziness to the scan above is due to the sparkling hologram covering all of the images~! If you're like me then you tend to love collecting stickers all the while never daring to take them off of their sheets…..preserving them forever…because………….I actually have no idea why~…(^q^) All of the images are incredibly sexy and I imagine that all Shokun fans have fainted by now… XD

Below are just snapshots of the wall calendar's 6 pages (each covering two months) and for anyone familiar with Japanese wall style calendars……..they're more like posters and very welcome so~! HP needs to build a much larger scanner :P. And I must make note of just how thick the wall calendar's pages are!!!!…..and glossy!!!!……..I've simply never encountered such a well constructed wall calendar before. Did I mention just how thick the paper stock is?!! (*´∀`*)

Arashi's 5 members are very calendar friendly in number allowing one member for each two month page and one last page for a great group photo! ^ ^

Although not visible in the scan above, the lettering at the top goes from a dark gold to bright green when the calendar book is tilted in light. ^ ^ This hard cover release is nothing short of magnificent as your year will be completely engulfed in the warmth and candidness of Arashi member photographs which grace page after page of this 126+ page treasure. ………(゜∀゜)………。♥

I've scanned every page of the calendar/diary with the exception of only the intro page and final page which do not include any Arashi photographs or any part of the diary calendar. When laid flat the calendar fits nearly perfectly on my scanner's surface so I've scanned them two pages by two pages totaling 62 images below (124 pages total). I pressed down pretty firmly but the very middle of each two pages are a bit obscurred due to that area not making direct contact with the scanner's surface..gomen nasai (;´□`). LOL this took me nearly 4 hours to complete the scans yesterday late afternoon into the night leaving me no time to post them up until today…(._.;).

Gomen ne~ ….the scans may take awhile to fully load..楽しみして下さい!。。。。。

ほら、私の ランダム猫ちゃんです~!

./_/.
(='.'=)
(")_(")

どう~ですか?
かわいい?

嵐。。。。。いってきまぁす(*´艸`)♥

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Ayaya’s “chocolate soul.”

As the song title suggests, Ayaya's H!P swan song takes little steps back towards her earlier catalog but still remains as a musical vehicle reflecting her growth and vocal maturity as an artist….it's still hard to believe that Ayaya is already 22! ^ ^ "Chocolate damashii" or Chocolate "soul" as the kanji here being directed to the pronunciation of "damashii" is written as "魂" ("tamashii")…meaning "soul" presents a modest but lively mid tempo arrangement and while upon first listen I may have been anticipating something even livelier, "Chocolate damashii" is truly an enchanting arrangement with all the elegance of strings and acoustic piano all wound up into a bouncy and cutely driven melody~♪♪.

"Chocolate damashii"'s soul reminds me of great 70's music including orchestration that is reminiscent of ELO….although that may just be me =), but what I really love is the arrangement which goes a bit outside of the box as it utilizes a double bridge which heightens the song both in octave and spirit occurring at the composition's middle and then once again to close the track. Ayaya's playful and matured vocal nuances work perfectly with the simple verse and chorus arrangements giving them a pretty and distinct Ayaya charm. Truly a song arrangement such as this one would have faired far less had it been presented earlier in Ayaya's career but here it simply sparkles as Ayaya's is able to effortlessly push vocal expression and give character to each note…something which is typically common only amongst seasoned artists.

Yet the "soul" of "Chocolate damashii" remains in its two sweet "bridge" arrangements……."♪♪~fu~fu-fu~fu~~♪♪~fu~fu-fu~fu~~♪♪….."

 As you can see "someone" (me) absentmindedly didn't order the accompanying CD single >_<; so I'll have to wait a bit longer to hear the coupling with track. The pv DVD single which runs only about 15 minutes is surprisingly quite short for a H!P production as pv DVDs have been gaining in lenght due to longer behind the scenes footage being offered as well as the always welcome abundance of fun candid moments ( ̄▽ ̄) to go along with them.

But perhaps the pv's simplicity itself is to blame here for the short running time as both version are somewhat much too similar to tell apart at times and the chocolate box sets on set along with a table, bed, and fuzzy lamp are pretty much the extent of Ayaya's pv backdrop…although that wall of boxes is quite impressive and I kept imagining Ayaya taking a run at them after shooting was all finished and knocking them down! ^o^ Ayaya's charm and playful expressions are definitely the centerpiece here as I find these pvs so cute and enjoyable to watch and yet perhaps they could have done a bit more with the chocolate theme in terms of blue screen and other post production graphics…but still I find myself unable to complain even in the slightest when soaking in this single…as musically and vocally, "Chocolate damashii" is much too wonderful a single♪♪ to be deterred by visual simplicities.

Below are the pv's original version, making of clip and then the "Sweet Ayaya Ver." of the pv which I warn is very very similar to the original:

 

Matsuura Aya "Chocolate damashii" original pv

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"Chocolate damashii" pv making of

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Matsuura Aya "Chocolate damashii" (Sweet Ayaya ver.) pv

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えっ!!なにそれ?XD

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食事タイム!

After a week of limited hearing in my left right (that should read right…seems that my equilibrium issues have gone to my typing >_<;) ear it was soooo nice to be able to hear okay again! Never take hearing for granted ever! The event at LVMS is always a special one for me as it’s the only Cup event that I’ve ever attended in person so I always get giddy this time of year~! XD OMG I was like an alien at the track though as I didn’t see another oriental person there. I got a lot of strange looks and long stares though….I think they were wondering what exactly I was and what I was doing there! 😮

So, it was time to try my hand at cooking….(sees everyone run away! XD) and just in case you’re not familiar with my history and edible meals…..it hasn’t been a very good relationship thus far (._.;). But who in their right mind would consider marrying or even dating me if I cannot cook properly? No one! So, I’m making up for a lot of lost time it seems as I’ve had the most wonderful lifelong opportunities to learn properly from my mom who cooks wonderfully always….what have I been doing all these years? I’ve created many a nightmarish “dishes” (゜ロ゜ノ)ノ!! in the past so my new goal in life is to not scare the would be recipients as I take a hard stand on making something hopefully edible. XD

Surely cooking plays a large role in being able to keep a home a happy place and not have your husband run off to eat elsewhere or say pleasant things to you like….”it’s delicious” when it’s obviously not so I’m sure I’m in the minority here……..as a girl who doesn’t cook very well (´⌒`。). In Hawaii we have get togethers called “pot luck’s” as everyone shares a dish or two of their very own and we always tend to end up with way too much food it seems but it’s really a sweet gathering of friends and family members and I’m usually one to purchase something to bring instead of cooking a dish myself as in a word my cooking has always been…awful! (;゜□゜)!! But today’s gathering would be different right! XD Hmm…..I’m way too confident for my own well being! XD It’s difficult enough to keep the channel on NASCAR!….almost no one else hear wants to watch! (._.;)

So while I’ll definitely not be invited to compete on the Food Network’s “Top Chef” program ever……I just don’t want to be a form of man kryptonite as surely no one would ever want to marry me with my current non existent cooking “skills.” 😛 (Asks if any man in their right mind would date me knowing that I cannot cook beforehand…)…..there’s no such man is there? (´⌒`。) You get teased a lot being me….demo ne~ I’m trying to be better. ^ ^

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♥~My kitty~♥

…Watching the Shelby 427 right now and typing this during a caution break. #48 & #24 are leading~! \(^o^)/☆..still early though. XD The LVMS fan friendly facility is the most unique in the series where fans can enter into the middle of the track by going under the track with a special pass that you can purchase for a day's access (it was $100/day two years ago)…really amazing to get so close and right above (the Neon Garage) and next to the team's garages!! No other track offers such access to fans as of yet and I really applaud LVMS for creating such an exciting environment for fans! ^ ^

But here's my kitty Jackie (my cousin may claim ownership though! XD) although I mostly call her "Jack" but she's always so strong willed and as you can see she was once again making herself comfortable on my mom's chair! 😮 Normally they're not allowed on our furniture but Jack is a most stubborn one as she will toss pillows aside and just about whatever else we put there to keep her off as she insists on making our furniture her own personal bed. Mom does get angry (゜ロ゜ノ)ノ whenever she catches her on there so I took this photograph while mom was busy in another room and didn't notice her just yet…..shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! XD Himitsu desu~…(^q^).

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Manoeri ends Hello!Project’s UTB cover drought~! (Vol. 190 April 2009)

May '98 marked the first appearance of Momusu/H!P on the cover of an issue of UTB (every H!P cover appearance is above) and over the next few years H!P would continue to dominate with numerous cover appearances which towards 2005 & 2006 would find their peak as H!P artists would appear exclusively as covergirls over that two year period leaving perhaps much of the rest of the idol world a bit shunned. While all streaks must inevitably meet their end at some point that run of consecutive cover appearances remains as one of the most rare feats for any artist(s) in terms of dominating a single publication where the magazine is no way exclusive to said artist.

After this impressive streak though came a long drought in which H!P while still appearing prominently in UTB (as Wani Books is the parent publisher of most H!P shashinshuu releases) didn't appear on another single cover dating back to the December 2006 issue which featured Aichan as their cover girl……in hindsight I imagine that no regular subscriber could have imagined that that particular issue would be H!P's last cover appearance for more than two years.

The April 2009 issue features one of the most beautiful H!P/UTB covers over their long history as Manoeri ends the over two year drought in dazzling fashion~! And while UTB seemingly continues their current restructuring of their presentation which has seen more facelifts than Joan Rivers (Gomen! XD) this issue in particular is showing definite signs of looking more like UTB's past in general as much of the format is quite reminiscent here. ^ ^

Manoeri doesn't only grace the front cover as she also is given back cover honors, here promoting her upcoming major debut release single…..shashinshuu scans can be found here…….and release information here.

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UTB also returns to including trading cards with their issues with the first three sets of five being randomly included…..my issue included set 3 including Maimichan's debut trading card in UTB. As the trading cards are once again being numbered I imagine that this sequential offering will continue in the next issues to come which is a nice return to the extras which UTB was so popular for offering in the past. =)

The trading cards had quite a run as they numbered enough to fill nearly an entire binder on their own! Bomb! magazine would also follow suit shortly after UTB debuted their trading cards as theirs offered randomly inserted cards which like UTB were two sided with photos but also included occasional card sets which would be smaller pieces to a larger picture when all cards were layed side by side in order on their reverse side. UTB Vol. 190 includes an impressive amount of H!P coverage and the gravure idol pictorials have also increased in page count which is also representative of their past…all of which gives this issue a retro feeling and quite a welcome one at that! Now if only we can get that DVD magazine back! ^ ^

The following pictorials that I've scanned include: Manoeri supporting her debut shashinshuu & major music release debut with off shots from her pb as well  as an event memorial shot, Suzuki Airi pictorial, Manoeri major debut special which includes a "growing up" documentary & an "A to Z" personal look at all which is manoeri……watch for her so so so adorable baby pictures too!!! ^o^, a flower dance (Hula) lesson with Tokunaga Chinami where hula's beautiful language is revealed with specific dance points which translate into this dance form's unique way of expression, Hagiwara Mai & Okai Chisato show their photography skills  where only two will be named "best shot!", Takahashi Ai's pictorial poses the question of whether her image here can pass her as being 17 years old?…as she portrays her character in ther drama "Q.E.D." (currently watching! ^ ^ ), and lastly Yajima Maimi returns with her third installment of picturesque beauty! She is so beautiful!! ^ ^

But first, Mr.Children's song "Kurumi" has had me wondering for years now if perhaps a girl could be named "Kurumi" somewhere in Japan as Sakurai is addressing a woman named Kurumi in the song's lyrics…….alas Shimizu Kurumi ends all questions! "くるみ" means "walnut"….so I've just always wondered………I think it's a cute name~!

Below is the mp3 for "Kurumi"…..please enjoy listening along with the scans. ^ ^

02 くるみ
Mr.Children

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………(゜∀゜)………。!!!!

I thought the release date was March 20th…..but it's already here!!!! If I didn't have a dinner "date" I'd open it now………kyaaaaa! XD

The mailbox was a happy place today as these also arrived! ^ ^

I've been long waiting for Momusu's "Naichau kamo" pv DVD single to arrive before opening up any of the other CDs for this release….lol it's killing me already! (;゜□゜)!

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Now scanning……………………….

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My brother picked up a few magazines for me..hmmmm…..this could take awhile! (´∀`)*

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