I know in half of the world, and in like 3 more hours in most of the world, it's already the new year. But since I live in the eastern United States it's still roughly 6 and a half hours until the new year. Us people living in North and South America always have to wait the longest. XD
So, I just wanted to take the time to wish everyone a Happy New Year!
I'll see you in 2011, where I'll most likely be making my Kohaku and Johnny's Countdown posts. :D Until then I hope every one has a great New Years Eve (or day). I'm the new year will be even more eventful than the last.
It was recently revealed that Hello!Project Egg members Sengoku Minami and Kikkawa Yuu have ended their Egg training. Neither of which is graduating from H!P or UFA, it was just merely announced that they have completed their Egg training. And it was also stated that Kikkawa Yuu will be the opening act for the Hello!Project 2011 Winter Concert.Of course this shocking and unexpected announcement has left fans utterly confused. And with good reason. Eggs have left, graduated, and been transferred to other agencies, but never has an Egg just completed her training. And there's honestly a couple of different things this could mean.
Either Minami and Yuu are leaving the entertainment business, which is highly unlikely. Or joining Morning Musume. Which is extremely unlikely because both girls are over the age limit at ages 18 and 19. So, there's really only 2 other possibilities. They are either joining a new group/groups or are going solo. And honestly with Yuu opening for the winter concert it kinda seems like she is going solo. No one ever opens H!P concerts to begin with, and an opening is simply what it's called. You open the concert by singing and dancing. Now why would Yuu be doing this unless she was going to further her career in H!P. I mean it makes sense. After gaining fans from both the 8th gen auditions and Milky Way, Yuu has a nice little fanbase. Yuu has both the fans and talent to go solo. Or perhaps lead a new Egg group in H!P. But to mean all signs point to solo for Yuu. As for Minami will do, your guess is as good as mine. Despite being an Ongaku Gatas member Minami isn't really all that popular, or that great of a singer. I honestly have no idea what to even guess she'd be up to.
All we can do now it wait for the winter concert to start on January 2nd. With Yuu opening and the 9th generation Morning Musume members being announced then, it's definitely leading up to be one of the most eventful H!P concerts in a while.
The cover for Mitsui Aika's first photobook, simply titled Aika, has been released. And I gotta say I am pretty happy about how the cover looks. Of course like most photobooks do, it features Aika in a bikini. And I really love the bikini they picked. It's pretty simple and Aika still looks alluring without showing too much skin or being over exposed. And believe me with her boobs she could. XD
I also hadn't noticed but it seems like Mittsi also lightened her hair to an auburn shade and has added bangs. (Well she's had bangs for a while now, but they were more side swept and these are straight.) Which really suits her, she looks incredible. And the bangs give a nice overall balance to the shape of her face.
Aika was also in UTB magazine, and those pictures are most likely previewing her photobook. But since I'm not 100% about that I'm not going to post them here.
KAT-TUN was recently in a commercial for Suzukis 2011 box on wheels. Oh excuse me, 2011 Solio. And during the duration of the commercial we get a nice 1:15 preview of KAT-TUN's new single, Ultimate Wheels. Which will be released on February 2nd. I'm a little under whelmed by the song itself. Because honestly Change UR World is an extremely hard act to follow. It's not that the song is bad, it's just mediocre. The music is so soft and the singing is so bland that it's practically forgettable. I mean, the singing hardly picks up when the chorus hits. I could see this being a good B-side but it should never have become an A-side. It doesn't even sound like there's openings for solo lines and rapping. Though I guess I do have to take into consideration that this is only the bridge and chorus, and we've yet to hear the verse.
The commercial isn't really anything to write hoe about either. It's basically just a pretty average car commercial. Where they show the interior and general functions of the car. Pretty much the best part of the commercial is that Koki is in it.
NEWS member Yamashita Tomohisa will be releasing his 4th solo single, Hadakanbo, on January 19th. It kinda seems like Yamapi is going to be like Tegomass where they release a single or two a year, and an album every so often. Which I'm completely ok with. There's nothing wrong with getting more bang for your buck JE.
The song is a complete 360 from anything Yamapi has released and is used to making. The music itself is a mix between disco, soul, and jazz. The music sounds like if you took NEWS's Koi no ABO, Kanjnai8's It's My Soul, and Tackey & Tsubasa's Ai wa Takaramono and mixed them together you might get this song. The song is so random and old fashion sounding that I absolutely love it! Every single part is amazing. And the way Yamapi sings it is so beautiful. From the vocalizing before verses, the perfect sounding high notes, the heart melting way he says Hadakanbo towards the end, and the overall smoothness in which it's sung. This is literally Yamapi's best solo single since Daite Senorita.
AKB48 subgroup French Kiss will be releasing their 2nd single, If, on January 19th.
This is yet another song and PV preview in one. Which means we hardly get to hear the song at all. Nothing beyond the chorus, so the verse and bridge could be completely bland. However, I hope that's not the cause because the chorus is completely amazing. It's pretty soft but heavy enough to dance to. The song so far is also extremely catchy and very pleasant to listen to. But that's mostly because of the flawlessness of Yuki's voice. She definitely one of the best, and one of my favorite, voices in AKB48. French Kiss as a whole blends together beautifully. All of the members seem to have similar voices/tones in their voices.
I also want to briefly talk about the PV because the 40 seconds that they show seem to tell the whole story. In the 40 seconds you mostly only see the dance scenes and each member longing for someone at school. But what the story looks like to me is all 3 girls like the same guy, but Yuki ends up seeing him behind her friends back. Hence why she's always walking ahead of them, like she's leaving them early to meet him. That would make the PV really interesting. But it will probably end up being something more mundane like basically just longer for someone and "if" you were with them. But either way I'm excited for the PV. Half because I like the song and half because the guy in it looks pretty cute.
AKB48 member Itano Tomomi is releasing her first solo single. The single is entitled Dear J and will be released on January 26th.
After falling in love with Queen & Elizabeth's Love Wars I've really grown to love Tomomi's voice. Love Wars was probably the first time I ever actually heard her voice, and I was really surprised by how cute it was. So, when this single was announced I was really looking forward to it.
I'm a little sad that the short PV preview only lets us hear about 15 seconds of the song. I'm sure there's a full radio rip floating around somewhere, but I can't find it. But the little bit that I heard I completely wasn't expecting. Maybe it's the heavy music or the effects done to her voice, but Tomomi's voice sounds a lot stronger and deeper than it usually does. I'm completely impressed by what I see and hear. The whole song and PV is reminiscent of something Amuro Namie would release. I'm actually looking forward to the PV. The song kinda very danceable and electronic sounding, I wonder if it was composed by a Korean person like SDN48's GAGAGA.
S/mileage is releasing their 4th major single, Shortcut. Shortcut will be their first single of the new year, being released on February 9th.
The preview for this song has been floating around for days, but it was obviously posted during my hiatus.
I am actually really impressed with the music for this song. It is absolutely adorable, and is the extremely upbeat music you expect from H!P. This song sounds like it could have been one of Berryz Koubou's first couple of singles, or it could have been an Athena & Robikerottsu single, or even a Buono album song. I am completely in love with the song so far. It's miles better than Onaji Jikyuu de Hataraku Tomodachi no Bijin Mama. And it's probably my favorite major single from S/mileage. Let's just hope the lyrics match. And as usual S/mileage has perfect line distribution. I think Yuuka and Saki might have 1 or 2 more lines than Ayaka and Kanon. But that's honestly not a big deal.
At Berryz Koubou's last concert Shimizu Saki announced that Berryz Koubou would be performing at Seattle, Washington's Sakura Con. Marking their first performance outside of Asia and their first every performance in the United States. (Well, first ever if you don't count their fanclub tour in Hawaii, which I personally don't.) Sakura Con runs from April 22-24. You can register as a guest on their website here.
Why do idol groups always have to perform across the country so I can't go? AKB48 performed in New York, but I didn't really care at the time. But as fate would have it, I'd kill to go now.
Even though I personally can't go, I am completely excited about this. It's always extremely exciting when idol groups perform in the United States. Something like this will definitely bump up their popularity with foreign fans, even if it's just a little bit.
So I guess I'll just have to wait for legions of fan reports, pictures, and videos. To those of you going, you don't know how incredibly lucky you are. And how completely jealous I am. Berryz Koubou is my 2nd favorite H!P group. Actually 2nd is a tie between Berryz and Buono.
It's pretty obvious to see that I am officially back to blogging. And honestly, I wanted to wait a little longer to come back. But there is just so much stuff I couldn't wait any more to blog about. There's literally about 13-14 things I want to blog about. I'm saying about because it's not set in stone that I'm going to blog about every single one. But I will be splitting up those posts over the next few days, because I am pretty sure no one wants to read a spam of 13 posts in one day.
Ok, but first things first. The one piece of news I couldn't wait to blog about, Momusu's 9th gen auditions.
I was completely surprised by how sort the audition process is. The whole clip is only about 24 minutes long. I was expecting something much longer. And in those 24 minutes they don't really focus on the girls as much as you'd think they would. I know most people enjoy watching the girls actually train, but I prefer watching them sing and dance more. I mean, we hardly got to see the girls sing at all. In past auditions you hear the girls sing like 3 songs. And watch them start to fix their pitch. But here you get to hear them sing the first chorus of C-ute's Aitai Lonely Christmas and that's it. There's also one part where Tsunku has them cry and laugh on comand. Showing you just how fake the world of idols is.
So let's meet the girls.
Ikuta Erina (13):
There's something about Erina that is so infectious. When she was dancing she was all smiles and completely energetic. Even when they showed the short clip of her singing Little Princess Pri, she was so full of energy and sounded really cute singing this song. I could see Erina becoming another Koharu, Chinami, or Aika. Her dancing itself is also really strong. She's probably the 3rd best dancer. She would be the 2nd best, but her moves aren't 100% smooth yet. Her singing on Aitai Lonely Christmas was a little rough, but only because it sounded like the song was too high for her. She was a little rough, but nearly perfect on Little Princess Pri because that song is a good 1-2 octaves lower. All Erina needs is some intense vocal training, because she comes off as squeaky. But that was Koharu's exact same problem. And Tsunku said if she couldn't hit the high note in Furusato properly he wasn't even going to consider her. And obviously it worked out fine.
Mogi Minami (11):
I personally don't like Minami. She's the worst singer and the worst dancer. She almost sounds like Konno Asami when she auditioned. Except KonKon was bursting with smiles, energy, and enthusiasm. Minami is just a crybaby. However, Tsunku loves to pick the girls who can't sing and are unsure of themselves. Nearly every gen had at least one girl like that. Nono: couldn't sing, KonKon: couldn't sing or dance, Ai-chan: too shy, Eri: unsure of herself, Sayumi: unsure of herself and couldn't sing, Koharu: couldn't sing. Look how well a majority of those girls turned out. Some of the best members in my opinion. A lot of fans are judging her/disliking her too quickly. Hell, I'm doing that now. But I'm willing to bet Minami could blossom into something great.
Sayashi Riho (12):
For me Riho is the total package! She's the cutest one, an extremely powerful dancer, and her singing is good. Her singing's not perfect, but she has the best voice there, and it could definitely become great over time. A lot of people think she has an unfair advantage after being in the Fashionable stage play, but not really. Is it her fault for being talented and winning that audition? Fujimoto Miki and Arihara Kanna had more of an advantage when they joined C-ute and Morning Musume. Sure, neither of them auditioned and where just added. But if Tsunku had a problem with Riho being in Fashionable she would have never been allowed to audition, let alone get to the finals. Personally I want Riho added to the group. She has everything going for her, and I will be completely upset if she's not chosen. Because if Tsunku doesn't choose her you can be sure AKB48 or some other idol group will scoop her up!
Suzuki Kanon (12):
Kanon is my personal favorite. She's super adorable. She looks like a mix between Mano Erina and Michishige Sayumi. Kanon just gives off this friendly and playful aura. I'm not exactly sure what she was saying during her short acting portion, but it seems like she could provide the group with the comic relief. Which Momusu really needs now that LinLin is gone. I wanna see Kanon laugh everyday in front of the mirror like LinLin did! Her dancing was pretty much on par with Erina's, and she seemed completely happy and energetic throughout it. Her singing on the other hand is almost as bad as Minami's. But she seemed to be having the most fun singing, and was completely into it. And I'd much rather watch a charming, energetic idol who can't sing then an amazing singer who's completely flat.
Otsuka Aina (12):
I like Aina. She seems different than all the other girls. To me she gives off this subtle toughness and has tomboyish qualities. I have a feeling with her we might have another Yossie or Makoto on our hands. Aina is the 2nd best singer. When she briefly sang Everyday Zekkouchou she sounded like a mix between Okai Chisato and Nakajima Saki. Which gives a nice unique deepness to her voice. Which means she would blend great with Aika and Risa. Her Aitai Lonely Christmas was just the tiniest bit rough. All she really needs to do is polish her voice more and she'll be great. She's also the 2nd best dancer. Her moves are really fluid. I just wish she was into it more, because her lack of energy makes her overall dancing look worse than it is.
I would absolutely love to see all 5 girls get in, because every single one of them has a redeeming quality about them. Adding one or two girls would make Morning Musume seem completely empty. Plus Ai and Risa don't have much more time in the group. They have to really start building up the girls now. Why do you think lately Aika has been doing so much? A lot of fans are over thinking things because at the video Tsunku said something to the effect of, "These girls will make a good unit. This is a good group of girls." A lot of fans are taking this to mean that these 5 girls will not be joining Morning Musume, and will start a group of their own. Which is completely ridiculous if you think about it. Morning Musume desperately needs new members. And not adding any new ones would completely destroy the group. Because what would happen to it after these 5 leave? I think Tsunku meant these 5 girls make such a good group, I can't split them up and will be taking all 5 of them.
By the way, the winners will be announced at the Hello!Project 2011 winter concert that starts on January 2nd. Hopefully we'll know the winners the first day and won't have to wait until the last day for them to be reveled.
Anyway, here's the audition video for anyone who hasn't seen it yet.
Hello all! I wanted to take this time to let everyone know that I will be going on my yearly Christmas hiatus. As it comes down the wire with only 2 days until Christmas Eve, there are a million things I have to do. And this year is especially tough. As, some daily readers will remember, my mom had a stroke a couple of months ago. So, now that it's the holidays I have to do what I normally do times a hundred. Which mostly involves cooking everything for Christmas Eve and Christmas day. (Along with my sister of course.)
And I know there are A LOT of things I am going to miss/are missing now. Oricon's 2010 top singles and albums, Berryz Koubou performing at Sakura Con, the preview of their new single Magical Future, the preview for S/mileage's single Shortcut, Kohaku's song list, and the vague announcement about Sengoku Minami. Plus whatever else I am missing. So, I hope everyone who reads my blog doesn't mind waiting for my opinions on what's happening in the idol world. My hiatus will most likely be until anywhere December 28-January 1st.
So I really hope everyone reading my blog has a Merry Christmas and a Happy Muharram! As well as a belated Happy Hanukkah and Happy Winter Solstice!
Just know without my blog I will be a very alone. And it will be an Aitai Lonely Christmas.
But I hope yours is a White Xmas.
Perhaps one where you'll meet your Prince.
Or maybe it will just be a pink Xmas.
Or you'll take a ride on the Snow Express.
Or you'll find your Christmas Rose.
Or whatever, just as long as it's an eventful Christmas.
I'm bringing you my third, and possibly last, 2010 ranking: the worst singles of 2010. Let's be honest not every single is an instant classic. And it's practically impossible to like every single song idols make.
Believe it or not this was the absolute hardest countdown to make. Even though I am incredibly critical of songs, and may like songs less than other songs, I can't think of one song I truly hate. Even though this is labeled as the worst, I don't find this songs to be so horrible I can't listen to them. These are just my least favorite singles. Which, technically makes them the worst.
Here's my list.
10. Going! - KAT-TUN
When this song came out I thought it was utter garbage. Since then I have started to like it a little bit more, but I definitely think it's one of KAT-TUN's weakest A-sides ever. This was KAT-TUN's first single without Jin. (When he still was going to come back.) And honestly it seems like they didn't know what to do without him. So they made a song with auto tune and mediocre music and passed it off as acceptable. What I really dislike about this song is the pitch never changes. The verse, bridge, and chorus are all song almost identically. Except for some extended notes no other aspect denotes that it's a different part of the song. The lyrics are pretty lame too. They try to come off as inspiring, telling you to chase your dream. But it just seems cheesy to me.
9. Onaji Jikyuu de Hataraku Tomodachi no Bijin Mama - S/mileage
When I first heard this song I really did like it. The music is catchy, the beat is danceable, and overall it sounds really cute. It seems to have everything going for it. That is until you read the actual lyrics of the song. Not only are the lyrics not the best written in the world, it doesn't really make sense. I still don't see how anyone's rival in love could be a mother. I doubt the mother would even look twice at a teenager. There you go, problem solved. And the song doesn't even say the mother wants him. They just accept her as their rival because she is pretty.
8. Aitai Riyu - AAA
It really seems like everyone in the world loves this song, except me. I'm pretty sure from some award show this song is up for best song. But I just don't get it. The song has every element that I usually like. It's kinda touching and is about longing for someone. But to me the song is just lackluster. And some parts even come off as whiny. For that reason it reminds me of Osaka Koi no Uta.
7. Sakura Girl - NEWS
When this song first came out I actually did like it. But that's mostly because I was so NEWS deprived I would have settled for any song. At the time if they made a song about octopi I would have sung it's praises. And it's not even that this song is bad, because it's not. I mean, the harmonies are absolutely incredible. However, the song itself is pretty mediocre. And so it makes it on the list. Maybe it's the way that it's sung in soft tone, but this song is actually really forgettable. I literally haven't listened to this song since about 2 months after it was released. And it's a shame because I do think the lyrics have some really cute aspects to it. But I just can't get into it.
6. Wonderful World - Kanjani8
I guess I should probably love this song because of the utter weirdness and lack of seriousness of it. But I find the song itself to be so lame that I'm actually embarrassed to be listening to it. And believe me I do enjoy the crazyness that is Kanjani8. But the only thing this song has going for it is that it's random. What I like about their other songs is that the lyrics are actually good. I mean literally half the song is them saying wonderful. But this is absolutely catchy and I want to like the song. Really I do. But I absolutely refuse to like or listen to music that has absolutely no meaning. Hence why I'm so critical of music. And hence why I listen to so much Japanese music in the first place. I'm sure I'll get a bunch of people jumping down my throat saying I don't know what I'm talking about, that this song has such a deep meaning.
5. Dear Snow - Arashi
Dear Snow has the exact same problem that Sakura Girl has. The song is just ok. The lyrics are really sweet. But Arashi has released like a hundred songs with basically the same exact lyrics. And even though I do like the lyrics, there's nothing special about the music to draw me in and make me like it. Or think it's better than just being mediocre. Which is why I like Sakura Girl more, at least the music is interesting. The lovely amount of Nino solos doesn't even make me like this song more.
4. AkKanbe Bashi - Watarirouka Hashiritai
Watarirouka Hashiritai usually makes some of the best and cutest idol songs out there. So, I was completely surprised when I heard this song. First off, I absolutely hate the music and the way it's sung, it makes it sound like a children's song. I swear some parts of it sound almost exactly like do your ears hang low. It just makes the song overly immature. If that aspect alone wasn't enough, the lyrics are terrible. I'm not even sure what a taunt bridge even is. Apparently the whole song is about taunting the person you want to confess to on the taunt bridge to become a couple. Which is completely random and stupid. Unless a taunt bridge is part of some obscure Japanese fairytale I've just never heard of.
3. Sakura no Shiori - AKB48
I absolutely hate how this song is sung. I'm not really a fan of choir music to begin with, but to mix it with AKB48 is just, in my opinion, a horrible combination. But it really has nothing to do with AKB48 per say. No matter who released a choir single, I would hate it. The lyrics themselves also aren't the best. It's basically about the cherry blossoms being a symbol of parting with someone. And it's basically almost the exact same as AKB48's song 10nen Zakura. Which is a way better song.
2. Seishun Collection - Morning Musume
Seishun Collection seems to be the one song that everyone seems to hate. It seems diehard Momusu fans and non-fans alike, can agree on just how awful it is. I think a main reason I dislike the song is because of just how bland and washed out it sounds. The music is soft but at the same time it's trying to be upbeat, but failing terribly. And the song is sung in such a calm matter that it is absolutely forgettable. The lyrics aren't anything to write home about either. The lyrics are trying to be fun and inspirational. Telling you that life is to short and to live without regrets, while boldly facing the future. But the song lacks a punch, and because of that the lyrics feel empty.
1. Campus Life ~Umarete Kite Yokatta~ - C-ute
Surprised I found a song to top Seishun Collection? Didn't think it was possible? But of course it was, and it's called Campus Life ~Umarete Kite Yokatta~. This songs has got to contain the stupidest lyrics that have come out of H!P in a long time. The lyrics from the verse and bridge are pretty much on par with what H!P usually releases, but it's the chorus that ruins everything. Oh yeah, making an entire song about being thankful for being born, isn't complete garbage or anything. A chorus is pretty much what defines a song. And if it's not good it brings the entire song down, like it did with this song. Because, honestly, if this song had a better chorus I'd probably like it more. The music isn't half bad and the other lyrics aren't so terrible.
Continuing in my 2010 countdown extravaganza, (every time I use the word extravaganza I can't help but think of RuPaul) this post is dedicated to the best album songs of 2010. 2010 was an extremely great year for idol albums. Nearly every main group in idol agencies released albums. Not to mention the subgroups that released albums. There was tons of songs to pick through. Which made picking my main ten songs super difficult. And since there are so many songs, you know I had to add some honorable mentions as well. ;] Also, I tried to make every song a group song, solos just wouldn't have seemed right.
10. Shigatsu Sengen - C-ute
I remember when I first saw the PV for this song. I was so under whelmed by it I decided to skip the whole Shocking 5 album all together. And for a while I did. But after another listen, and actually giving the song a chance, I actually do like this song. I love that the music is soft and light, but still pleasant to listen to. I love that the lyrics are very nostalgic. About not forgetting precious memories, and living the present to the fullest. I also love that every member gets a chance to shine in this song.
9. Neko Damashi - Watarirouka Hashiritai
I absolutely love this song because it's so adorable. Especially all of the talking in the background. I also really love how the music sounds like drama music.
However, everyone seems to hate Watarirouka Hashiritai and there are no English translations of the song. So honestly a song called cat soul could be about anything. XD
8. Okii Hitomi - Morning Musume
When I first heard this song I immediately hated it just because Sayumi was in it. I mean come on, her voice is so bad that ALL of her lines are auto tuned. But after I watched the powerful performance of this song at Morning Musume's spring concert, I feel in love with it. And ironically, Sayumi's lines are my favorite. I think they are really perfect for the song and add a nice touch. I absolutely love the heavy dance background music. And I absolutely love the flawless way the 6th gens voices blend together. I love that the whole song is about innocently falling in love for the first time. I mean staring with big eyes means that you're innocent and are unsure what to do.
7. Faraway - KAT-TUN
Usually I really dislike songs that are this slow. But after reading the translation I couldn't help but love it. The songs are so beautiful and touching I could cry. I literally almost cried reading the lyrics. They still choke me up now! It's all about lost love. Regretting letting someone go, then realizing you can't undo what's been done, and having to live with the pain and holding onto the sweet memories. The song is really incredible. And from just listening to it, you'd never be able to tell the lyrics are so sad and touching. The song is also sung so light and beautiful.
6. Kataomoi - Buono
Because my love life is always bittersweet I always love a good song about unrequited love, one sided love, or love from a far. Songs about that are usually my favorite idol songs. Maybe I should like more varieties? XD So of course I love Buono's song about unrequited love. This song is also really sad. But I can't help loving it because I relate to it. The lyrics are also about loving someone but not telling your friends about it. Which I've done when I liked my friend's boyfriend. XD But the lyrics aside, I love this song because it is so catchy. The upbeat chorus gets stuck in my head for days.
5. Shinku - Hey! Say! JUMP
This has been my favorite JUMP No. 1 song for months now. I first fell in love with this song because the music is incredibly amazing. It's strong and danceable, and insanely catchy. I also love the chorus. It's hands down the absolute best part of the song. Of course I love the lyrics too. It's another song about love slipping away. Except this song is about love so strong that even though you're gone I can still feel you and your warmth. Which as I girl I think is incredibly sweet and appealing.
4. Everything - Arashi
Arashi makes some of the catchiest music ever! I mean, try listening to the chorus and not instantly loving it! The song itself is incredibly amazing to listen to. You have Arashi's voices that blend insanely well, and you have upbeat piano infused music. The only real fault about this song is MatsuJun's semi long solo with his terrible voice. XD The lyrics are pretty much on par with everything Arashi releases. It's pretty much about missing someone and being alone, but trying to live on strongly.
3. Grand Demo Rouka Demo Medatsu Kimi - Berryz Koubou
I was completely not expecting to like this song when I first heard it. Since I like cutesy idol voices, and this song is sung by the 2 deepest voices in Berryz. But I absolutely love this song! I love the almost anime sounding music. And I love the how Yurina's and Maasa's harmony lines sound. That's easily the best part of the whole song. Especially Yurina's she sounds so adorable. And of course I love the lyrics because they are all about longing for someone. And I think it's cute because it's also about not wanting your crush to stand out so the only one who notices them is you.
2. Futari/130000000 no Kiseki - NEWS
This is another one of those songs that I love because it's so touching. I guess I'm a sap when it comes to music. Or maybe it's just that I like the idea of pretty boys singing about heartbreak, while being all sad and sensitive. The lyrics are so sweet because they are about losing someone you love but not being able to get over it. And now all your left with is sadness and the feeling of I still want you. And wondering what went wrong. You have to be made out of stone for this song not to touch your heart.
1. Namidacchi - Morning Musume
Of course the best album song of 2010 had to go to Morning Musume. It's really sad that all of their best songs are wasted on album tracks. I mean, this album is so good I wanted to put 4 tracks in the top ten! What's so great about this song is it's the best of both worlds. It's starts out really pretty and slow, and then picks up to be insanely upbeat and happy. It even has an incredible rap part. This song has everything. But what makes this song number 1 for me are the lyrics. The song is so inspiring that it's beautiful. That no matter how strong you act it's ok to cry, in sad or happy times. You should always give yourself over to your emotions.
Honorable mentions:
1. Aa Koi - C-ute 2. Wonderland - NEWS 3. Summer Splash - Arashi 4. Moonlight night ~Tsukiyo no Ban da yo~ - Morning Musume 5. Yakimochi wo Kudasai! - Berryz Koubou 6. Ai Scream - Hey! Say! JUMP 7. LIVE - NEWS 8. Right Now - KAT-TUN 9. Kossetsu Romance - Watarirouka Hashiritai 10. Independent Girl ~ Dokuritsu Joshi de Aru Tame ni - Buono
It's getting to be that time of year again where we bid farewell to the old year and usher in the new one. And honestly, a year really does pass too quickly. I could have sworn it was just yesterday I was getting excited over turning 18 soon.
Since a lot of great idol things have happened in the past year, it's time to rank the best and worst of 2010. So, I bring you part 1 of my 2010 ranking extravaganza. In this post I'll be ranking my personal favorite 10 singles of 2010.
I decided to make this series in my blog because I haven't done anything special about the new year in this blog since I first started it. So look forward to my next posts: best album songs and top ten worst singles of 2010. If I get extremely bored or extremely inspired, I may also do the worst album songs, best B-sides, and the best and worst of subgroups.
Here are my top ten singles of 2010! Keep in mind it was extremely difficult to make a top ten. I had to bump A LOT of songs I love. :/
10. Our Steady Boy - YuiKaori
YuiKaori have only released 3 singles in total, so it might be too soon for some to regard any of their singles as the best of the year. However, I don't really care too much about what anyone else might think, but I am in love with YuiKaori. Better yet, I am in love with this song. There is just so much I love about this song. Since it's used as the theme for an anime is has the heavy overly cutesy music, mixed with the adorable voices and overall infectiousness of YuiKaori themselves. But what puts this song in the top ten for me is the lyrics. Since I've been in more one-sided love then I can count, I can completely relate to the lyrics of a girl not being noticed by the guy she likes. Yeah that might be lame, but relating to all the girlish feelings of love in the lyrics is half the reason I listen to idol music. And I have actually be in the exact same situation as these lyrics with one of my friends. Our exact agreement was not to fight over him and to be perfectly ok/accept whichever one of us ended up with him. Needless to say, neither of us had him. Well, not relationship wise anyway. I don't think anyone cared about that part. XD
9. Yumemiru 15sai - S/mileage
When this song first came out I actually didn't like it all that much. I was turned off by the fact that it sounded so much different then what they were releasing up until this point. It actually took me a couple months to like this song, but once I did I was listening to it nonstop. Ironically, the overall techno type music is a main factor of why I like it. But I really love this song because of the varied ways it's sung. The way the verse is sung, the fast backup singing of the bridge, the chorus, and, my absolute favorite, the high notes. Which are mostly sung by my beloved Kanon. The lyrics are also really adorable, even if it's about a 15 year olds love.
8. Gyu! - Wattarirouka Hashiritai
I absolutely had to have a Wattarirouka Hashiritai song on my list. Practically every single one of their singles are amazing, and this song isn't the exception. This song is hands down the cutest song of 2010. Mostly because of Wattarirouka Hashiritai's cute gyus in the background. However, this is my only basis for liking the song. I still have yet to go come across an English translation of the song.
7. Ikuze! Kaitou Shoujo - Momoiro Clover
Momoiro Clover is an idol group I actually did not think I was going to like. But after listening to Ikuze! Kaitou Shoujo I was completely impressed. This song is just absolutely incredible. There are so many things going on in it, it's hard not to like the song. From the Momoclo raps through out the song, the mesmerizing speed most of the song is song with, and Akari's sexy speaking part and solo parts in the chorus. I even love the echo during the chorus. Not to mention Kanako's strong and adorable solo towards the end of the song. Oh and practically dying at Ayaka's aha~n. XD The lyrics themselves are a little random to say the least. I think they're supposed to mean that they are some great thieves because they will steal your heart. But regardless of the overall meaning, the song is insanely catchy.
6. SHOCK! - C-ute
There has been a lot of hate out there for this song because it's Airi central. But ever since my first listen I was absolutely blown away by it. It was a breath of fresh air after all the mediocre songs they were releasing. I am absolutely in love with the music. It's like half circus, half James Bond. It's just amazing. The lyrics are also pretty meaningful too. I love that it's the initial shock of finding out that you're being cheated on, but then refusing to be tricked again. It's pretty much a classic.
5. Change UR World - KAT-TUN
This is the newest song on my 2010 list, because it usually takes me a few months before I really realize just how epic a song is. But this song I ended up liking right off the bat. Mostly because this is, in my opinion, the best KAT-TUN song released in quite some time. It's got the heavy guitar, and rock sound that their earlier songs used to have. And of course I love that since Jin left, the lines have been distributed more evenly. I mean Koki and Maru completely killed in this song. And also Kame's incredible high notes at the end. I also greatly appreciate how long Koki's rap is. As I've said before Koki's raps are my favorite parts of KAT-TUN songs. I also love the sexy grunt he does during his solo line. I think the lyrics are cute too. They're basically about chasing your dreams, or making your dreams happen. So the song can be taken as inspirational.
4. Love Wars - Queen & Elizabeth
When I first heard this song I initially didn't like it because the chanting in the beginning made it sound immature. But after a few listens I was in love. I like the fact that it sounds very youthful like everything was written by a high school girl. Which means the lyrics aren't the absolute best but they are cuter this way. And since I am still a teenage girl, I love the song for just that fact. That and the song is so catchy, it gets stuck in your head for days.
3. Beginner - AKB48
Beginner is yet another one of those songs I didn't like on the first listen. I didn't like it because it was completely different than AKB48's previous singles. Except River, which I still don't really like. About a month later I read the English translation of Beginner and thought the lyrics were great. So then of course I love the song now. I think the lyrics are pretty meaningful. Unchain yourself from what you've always been told to thought and know. And everyone should be a Beginner because we don't really know what we're doing in this life. At least that's what I get from it. The lyrics are actually kind of confusing. There's a lot of lines that are like Mad Hatter questions. And are like in the suicide club the famous question: are you connected to yourself? You're not really sure how to answer it. Throughout the song it makes a lot of remarks like that. But I like the meaning I got from the song.
2. Maji Bomber - Berryz Koubou
I love love love this song. I literally can't go a day without listening to it. And yet I don't think anyone else loves it as much as I do. The song only sold like 15k. But the song is so catchy and addictive. But I don't even know why I like it so much. The lyrics don't even make sense and are completely meaningless. I'm not even sure what being a serious bomber is supposed to mean .But there's just something about this song that I can't stop listening to it.
1. Monster - Arashi
Arashi makes absolutely incredible music. When their song is good, it isn't just good it's incredible. So naturally an Arashi song just had to take the top spot. It was extremely hard picking between Troublemaker or Monster, but somehow I did. There's just something so infectious and so addictive about Monster. I just love that the music is dark and mysterious, and yet at the same time somehow still upbeat. The overall sound is really amazing, Arashi always blends together beautifully. And of course I love the lyrics. Leave it to Arashi to have a song about being a Monster but still have it being about love.
Honorable mentions: (just because I had wayyyy more favorites than 10, these are in no particular order)
1. Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game - Morning Musume 2. Kimi Shika - No Sleeves 3. Genkimono de Ikou! - Mano Erina 4. Otakebi Boy WAO - Berryz Koubou 5. Fighting Man - NEWS 6. Dream After Dream ~Yume Kara Sameta Yume~ - AAA 7. Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game -Morning Musume 8. Hitomi no Screen - Hey! Say! JUMP 9. GAGAGA - SDN48 10. Gomen ne Summer - SKE48 11. Troublemaker - Arashi
