AKB48 breaks a record, but do they deserve it?

AKB48's new single, Everyday Kachuusha,  has just broken the record for a single's best first week sales. They broke the record in just 5 days beating the previous number one single, Mr. Children's Namonaki Uta. And I am actually really angry by all of this. I think AKB48 is completely undeserving to break the record and to hold such a high honor.

And don't go thinking I'm bitter because AKB48 broke the record and not my favorite idol group, because that is absolutely not the case. I don't think ANY idol group should break a record like this. Not Morning Musume, not NEWS, and certainly not AKB48. I think this coveted position should be held by a legit artsit who deserves it. Not an arist who was only picked because they danced around in bikinis and are the newsest flavor of the week. Yes, I realized their popularity is HUGE and has been for years. I simply mean that eventually people will move on to some other idol group. And that new idol group will be the "it" group and the new flash in the pan. And years from now when no one cares about AKB48 anymore people will be saying, "I can't believe such and such established artist can't beat that has been idol group. And sadly that's most likely going to happen.

And to anyone out there who thinks AKB48, or any idol group, actually deserves to win you are lying to yourself. AKB48 didn't win because the song is that amazing, beautiful, or meaningful. They won because they are insanely popular and they made a suggestive PV. (I can hear the people crying, "The PV is innocent. Bikinis aren't suggestive. I can't think of anything more innocent then dancing and parading around in bikinis." Right, because only obvious sexual behavior is suggestive.)
It just makes me angry. I heard and read the translation for Mr. Children's song today. It's beautiful. The singing is actually kinda bad, but the lyrics are really pretty and sweet. And I can completely see why they held the top spot. It's a song about being there for the person you love. No matter what happens, no matter how difficult things get, you'll always be there for them. AKB48's song on the other hand is a mediocore pop song about it being summer. And basically mundane things you do when it's summer such as running in the seas breeze, having the sun beat on you, etc. And of course it's the typical idol lyrics about loving someone from a far, and blah blah. The lyrics are just ok. They aren't heartfelt, they aren't even the best lyrics or best song by AKB48. If Beginner or Keibetsu Shiteita Aijou won, I still wouldn't like it but I'd get it more. There was just absolutely no reason why this song won.

I would love to hear a fan try and defend this situation, because they can't. And any fan that can't realize that they are undeserving takes idol music and idols far too seriously.
If I'm being honest here I don't think either songs were amazing enough to win. If I had it my way Uemura Kana's Toilet no Kamisama would win. That song is so heartbreaking, it makes me cry every time I hear it.

I don't know, I love idols and all but I don't really like it  when they start beating legit artists for things. It kinda makes me angry.

S/mileage's surprising 2nd generation auditions

In an absolutely shocking turn of events H!P's youngest group, S/mileage announced they will be holding auditions for their 2nd generation. The audition is looking for girls between the ages of 13-18. The auditions will begin on June 4th and continue throughout the month. June 4th is just 9 days before the deadline of the Morning Musume 10th generation auditions. Since both auditions are in such close proximity to each other, girls are allowed to audition for both groups. However, if they pass both auditions they can only choose one group to join. You can click here for the website.

I absolutely could not believe that S/mileage was going to add new members. I was not expecting that at all, I thought they would continue with this line up throughout their career. Much like Berryz Koubou and C-ute. Apparently at one point Tsunku said he wasn't finished with S/mileage, but I never heard him say that before, so this announcement was quite a shock to me. This will also mark the 2nd stabel group in H!P history to have revolving members like Morning Musume. So far only sub-groups (like Tanopopo, Mini Moni, and Pucchi Moni) as well as short lived groups (like Coconuts Musume and Country Musume) have had more than one generation. When S/mileage was formed I thought about what their future would be like. I thought they were no doubt going to have the same inevitable fate as Berryz and C-ute. To me new H!P acts are always bitter sweet. Yes, it's awesome that we get great new music and more variety, but you know that they will eventually have to leave. (Debuting ManoEri at 18 and Kikka at 19, it's almost like why even bother. :/) But having S/mileage have new member auditions gives hope that they could last as long as Morning Musume. Now, there is no guarantee that S/mileage will even have a 3rd generation. But coming from a business and investment point of view, it's the smart thing to do.

There's of course a lot of fans who are against this, or feel that S/mileage is perfect the way they are. And in a sense I can't blame them. I don't think anyone really saw this announcmente coming. But it seems that I always have an unpopular opinion when it comes to change, because I absolutely encourage change and I am absolutely excited for this audition. Of course, I love S/mileage the way they are. They are one of my favorite groups and I think the members fit perfectly together. They each have similar sounding voices that compliments each other's perfectly and harmonize perfectly. But since I'm such a big fan of S/mileage I realize that this is the perfect move for them. This means the group could have longevity. And what would you rather do? Enjoy the currently line up for an undisclosed amount of time, which is most likely anywhere from 6-8 years before Ayaka starts to get too old, or enjoy them for 14 years like Momusu but just with a different line up. I think it's pretty obvious which one is better.

Japan seems to be really interested in S/mileage. They have quite the growing following, and they won best new artist at the 52nd Japan Record Awards. It seems Tsunku and H!P wants their interest and popularity to continue to rise. And holding auditions is a great way to do that. Look at all the extra promoting and interest that has been in Morning Musume lately because of the audition and new members. I also really wonder how many members they will add. It says new member audition, but I'm actually hoping for 2 new members. I also don't get why they are asking for such old girls to join. Momusu is asking for 10 the youngest and 17 the oldest, while S/mileage is asking for 13 the youngest and 18 the oldest. It makes no sense to me. I guess they are just trying to keep all S/mileage members the same age. Do you know who would have made a great S/mileage member? Saho Akari. Oh wait, she was just added to that dance group that doesn't have a future. :/

This audition also really makes me wonder about what their future holds. S/mileage's theme is youth and short skirts. They are adding new members to enchance the youth aspect. So, it seems to me that S/mileage is always going to go after that youth theme. Their singles don't seem to be maturing and adding another young member won't help them mature either. It seems like they will forever be a youthful and playful group. Which I'm ok with, and it would actually be a welcomed change. But it seems like because of that S/mileage members might graduate before the age Morning Musume graduate, to keep up with the theme. That would also be bitter sweet.

Here's the audition announcement video.

The stigma of being a fan

So, I wrote this blog post mid April, right after I got my JE calendars and expected to make this post shortly after. However, everything always gets pushed back. But regardless of when I made this post, I really wanted to make it to get all this frustration off my chest. It's just basically what I go through and feel on a day to day basis, just from being an idol fan. I also hope that in some small way people will relate to this post.
But anyway, disclaimer over and on to the real post.

I'm sure everyone out there who is a fan of idol music has faced some sort of judgment or mocking for liking idols. Especially the fans that live outside of Asia. Since wota are usually around 30 years old, I'm sure lots of people would question why someone that age listens to teenage girls singing about love. Or question if liking idol music is as innocent as it seems. But since I'm not a 30 year old man, and never will be, I of course can't say for sure every fan has experienced or will experience this. But one can assume this is how people would react if they have no idea what idols are.
However, if a male fan were to like an idol group like AKB48 or SDN48 I'm sure people would react differently. Since both groups take a lot of revealing and sexy photos, people would understand the appeal more and accept it more. Even if they didn't accept it they would at least understand it better.

And because of that male idol fans have it much easier than us female fans. I never really realized just how hard it is for a female fan until recently. I found out because as I started to get idol merchandise, and my family became more aware of idols as a whole, they have voiced their opinions on it several times. And I found myself not only being slightly ashamed and embarrassed, but also pretty angry. There seems to be a real stigma for being a fan of idol music. And that stigma is even greater for female fans.

As a female fan I think there's a stigma right off the bat for being a female idol fan because apparently by default if I'm listening to a female singer I have to have the hots for them, or I wouldn't listen to them. Which is absolutely ridiculous because no one would assume that if I was listening to an American female group. I think that logic stems from 2 reasons. The first being, I'm choosing to listen to that type of music. I would have a lot less grief if I choose to listen to regular legit Jpop. And the second reason being the type of music they make and the way they present themselves. Since female idols are mostly marketed to male fans everything they do reflects that. The PVs, the photo shoots, the photobooks, and to some extent the lyrics. And when you choose to like something like that, there's some automatic judgment in that. Even when I say I like the music because I'm a girl and they are girls. They are singing about things girls relate to, therefore I like it. It doesn't really make much of a difference or change anything.
And because of that I usually downplay my love for female idols around my family. I usually only mention liking male idols because that's easier to accept. So, then I also don't ask for, or buy, much female idol merchandise. I can't imagine the backlash if I asked for a photobook. Obviously I'm ok enough in my own sexuality to say such and such looks adorable. Or such and such looks sexy in that outfit, without physically being attracted to that person. However, most people do not feel that way. I feel a little ostracized because of it.

And since I'm a girl you'd think liking male idols would be easier, but it's just as bad. It might actually be worse. And that stems, of course, mostly from the way male idols look. In America, and most countries outside of Asia, the aesthetics are completely different. What the West sees as flamboyant, girly, or in a sense "gay", Asia finds normal and the most appealing. And when you show someone photos of male idols, and they don't understand the aesthetics of Asia, they are obviously going to judge it, and you, based on what they've been taught to be "normal." So, I obviously hear a lot of, "OMG, how is that not a woman?" But whatever, I think Asian guys are attractive, even if people find them to be quote unquote girly. But that's mostly because I like a lot of pretty boy American celebrities. And some American celebrities who are actually gay. (What can I say, I'm weird I guess.) But I like a wide range of different appearances. From Chace Crawford to Jay Baruchel to Lil Wayne. However, none of that seems to matter. And I am still judged for liking Asian guys who are too girly for American standards. I'm sure most of it comes from the logic that, "If she likes guys that look like girls, she must be into girls." Which is obviously not the case. And therefore is the dilemma.

Another stigma is the fact that they are idols. And since the West doesn't have idols, they are compared to the closest thing we have to idols, boy bands and girl groups. Even though that's what idols basically are, they are also completely different. And the whole idol thing in Japan is way beyond boy bands and girl groups. Idols often become widely popular and accepted groups. Because the whole culture of Japan is different. Back in the 90's boy bands and girl groups were for tweens and teenage girls. And any self respecting person who didn't fit into those 2 categories would never dare listen to them without facing massive amounts of mocking. So, of course with that mind set, and it being the general consensus, a person unaware of what idols are all about is going to completely make fun of and look down on it. Which is why I don't tell anyone I like idols. My friends don't really know I listen to idols, they don't even know I have this blog. And it's all because of ignorance and close mindedness.

I also get the stigma because of ages. Both their ages and my own. My age because by American logic is, I'm starting to be too old to listen to idols. My family thinks me liking idols is something 12 year olds do and I should basically stop. Do they care about the average age of wotas? Or that the biggest JE supporters are women in their teens and 40's? Of course not! If they knew that, would they even care? Of course not! Because they've been feed their whole life what is normal and what is not. And to go beyond that is both outrageous and ridiculous. I'm probably going to listen to idols for as long as I like the music. Which is probably years or even decades. And who's to say I can't? No one, really. Yet, that stigma will always be there.
And of course when I say their ages I mean the idols who are young, or young to American standards. Right now I'm 19 and most idols are my age or very close to my age, so it's hardly a big deal. But for some reason my family still thinks it is. Since half of Hey! Say! JUMP are younger then me, my sister thinks it's stupid and immature to listen to them. She doesn't care that 5 JUMP members are older than me or that 4 members are just one year younger than me.
Yet, she listens to the Jonas Brother and thinks it's fine. They are absolutely the closest America can get to idols, music and looks wise. Yes, my sister is 23 and likes the Jonas Brothers. Do you see the hypocrisy and irony in that? Whenever she gets grief for liking them her logic is: "since I'm the same age as the oldest member it's not weird." But me, who is nearly the same age as all of HSJ, am immature. That's just horrible logic. And it's based on nothing more than ignorance. I'm really not looking forward to seeing what will happen when I start to become a little older than my favorite idols.

Obviously, I shouldn't let general ignorance bother me or effect my love for idol music. And I pretty much don't let it. But hearing things like this constantly will take its toll on anyone. Especially someone like me. I like to think of myself as extremely sensitive and I hate being made fun of. Besides that, I am also very defensive and slightly opinionated. So it's pretty obvious why things like this upset me so easily. I just really wish people weren't so close minded all the time because it's absolutely frustrating. And it makes me feel like this stigma of being an idol fan will never go away.

Berryz Koubou announces new single

It was announced recently that Berryz Koubou will be releasing their 27th single. As for now, the single in untitled but it will be released on August 10th.

I wish I could say that this was announced really soon after their last single but it's not really. Berryz usually releases a new single ever 3-4 months. Granted this is just a mere 2 months after the release of Ai no Dangan, but for Berryz that's really nothing. As my 2nd favorite H!P group I'm always looking forward to their next single. Let's hope it has a better  PV than Ai no Dangan.

You can purcahse this album from CDJapan by clicking the links below.

Berryz Koubou - TBA [Limited Edition / Type A]


Berryz Koubou - TBA [Limited Edition / Type B]


Berryz Koubou - TBA [Limited Edition / Type C]


Berryz Koubou - TBA [Regular Edition]

Buono to release 12th single

It was announced that Buono will be relasing their 12th single. The single is entitled Natsu Dakara and will be released on July 20th.

I'm really glad to see Buono releasing singles frequently again. Buono makes some of my favorite H!P songs, so I'm really excited to hear what kind of song this will be. Since it's a summer themed song no doubt it's going to extremely upbeat and energetic. It would also be absolutely amazing to have 2 PVs of tis single like they did with Zassou no Uta.

You can of courwse by this single from CDJapan by clicking the links below.

Buono - Natsu Dakara [w/ DVD, Limited Edition / Type A]


Buono - Natsu Dakara [w/ DVD, Limited Edition / Type B]


Buono - Natsu Dakara [Regular Edition]

My latest gets

This post is extremely overdue. I've been wanting to make this post since the end of April. But I was lazy and put the post off, and then my computer crashed. And now this post is a month late. XD I'm pretty excited to make this post because it's the first time I making a post about all the idol themed things I got. I've made posts in the past about my Morning Musume CD and Hey! Say! JUMP CD, but that was only one item. This time I have 6 things. Which isn't really a lot. But hey, I'm a poor idol fan and only buy what I can afford. Which is hardly anything. XD




First things first, my NEWS CDs.

I got Pacific and Color for my birthday. Color is limited Edition which is amazing, by the way. I would preferred LE Pacific since it's my favorite NEWS album, but I can't really complain. And since I got those 2 CDs I had to buy Live since I was supposed to get it when it was released in September. I opted for the regular edition because it has the bigger booklet and I have no need for a DVD that I can't watch. Oh, and can I add that all my CDs are either Taiwan or Hong Kong versions. Start calling me a bad fan now, but there's no way I'm shelling out $50 for Japanese versions when I can get the overseas for about $20. Especially since the CDs are exact duplicates.


Oh, and speaking of my birthday check out my awesome cake.

It's a mint chocolate chip cheesecake. XD


Next I got my Hey! Say! JUMP calendar.

I was pretty bummed when I couldn't get their calendar last year, so I made sure I got it this year. But it was pretty expense at either $40 or $45. Which is kind of ridiculous for a calendar, but whatever. I really wanted this because calendars are the closet JE gets to photobooks. HSJ's calendar was actually the most bang for your buck. It came with like a 30-50 page booklet, and then had a little mini calendar which is basically picture cards with the dates on it.

But the pictures are awesome. Especially Yuto's.

And they are doublesided! There's also a way to make this mini calendar stand, but the instructions are in Japanese, so I can't use it. XD


The photos in the booklet are mostly bathingsuit and beached themed.

But there are also a few sexy suit looking pictures.

Surprisingly I think Yabu looks the cutest in this booklet.

The booklet also has giant pictures of the members faces, which is kinda weird. But I guess also cool.

 

 

The next thing I got was a NEWS calendar.

 

This was even more expensive than the HSJ one. I think NEWS's was $50.  But for a more expensive price you get less stuff. It's pretty much just a photobook. It's something like 60 pages though. But since NEWS is my favorite JE group I had to get this.

 

I mostly got it because Yamapi looks super hot in it.

 

The calendar is more of an agenda calendar, where you're supposed to write in what you're doing that day.

I think it's funny because they already have each member's birthday's written in. XD

 

The calendar came with this tape looking stuff that says NEWS. I have no idea what it's for. My mom says that it looks like it's temporary tattoos, but I'm never going to use it so I'll never know. XD

 

The booklet is filled with a lot of cute pictures.

 

It also has like 32 shop photos with it. But they are attatched to the calendar, so of course I'm never gonna rip them out. But it's awesome that they were included.

 

On the back of the shop photos each member wrote messages, too bad I can't read them. :/

 

 

I do love my NEWS calendar but I think it's a bit of a rip off.

 

It's nearly the same size as the Hey! Say! JUMP one.

 

And nearly the same exact width. But it's $10 more and you get less stuff. :/

 

 

The last thing I got was my prizes.

 

I recently came in second place in International Wota's I Wonder What Idol Flesh Taste Like contest for my Kusumi Koharu soufflé. I won a signed copy of I Wonder What Human Flesh Tastes Like and a $30 YesAsia gift card. So, I decided to buy Morning Musume's All Coupling Complete CD. It was the most bang for my buck, I picked it up for $25. It was the Korean version though, but who cares. I really wanted to buy the Maji Desu ka Ska single, since I absolutely love that song. But I wasn't spending $15 for 2 songs. I guess I'm cheap and a bad fan. But I will never spend $15 for 2 songs. When I can get an American CD for $10, and I got 42 songs for $25. I guess I'm just a terrible fan. But I probably won't care as much when I actually have a job. XD

 

I was also super excited to get Justin's autograph.

 

I never had a book with the author's autograph before, so I am beyond happy I have one now.

 

He also included some purikura pictures, which are really cute.

Morning Musume 10th gen auditions announced!

Probably the absolutely most exciting news to have been released when I was away was the Morning Musume 10th generation auditions. The auditions announced by Tsunku during Morning Musume's spring concert tour. The criteria is the same as the 9th gen auditions. Girls ages 10-17. The application deadline is June 13th and the girls will be added after Ai-chan's graduation this fall. You can click here for the audition website.



I cannot contain my absolute joy and excitement for this announcement. A lot of fan are whining complaining that it's too soon to have auditions, that the 9th gen just joined. But I don't think it's too soon at all. I think I'm like one of the only fans who wants yearly auditions and Momusu to have 15 members again. Which will never happen because Tsunku doesn't want them to be more than 10. But a girl can dream, right?


This is obviously an incredibly smart move to have them audition for new members so soon. Not only because Ai-chan, the real ace of Morning Musume, is leaving, but because the rest of the 5th and 6th gen are getting old and are going to have to leave soon too.

Here's how I see Morning Musume's future. December Ai-chan graduates. Then at that concert the 10th gen are announced. I was thinking there's no way they would take off any focus from Ai-chan because it's her graduation concert, her last hurrah. So, the 10th gen might be announced a concert to two before Ai-chan's graduation. Or they might juts wait until the start of the H!P winter concert like they did with the 9th gen. Then Risa and Sayumi receive their leader and sub-leader positions.
Early winter January or February Risa announces her graduation. Let's be realistic it has to happen, and it has to happen soon. Risa has been a member as long as Ai-chan and has to leave soon. They release one single or album with Risa as a leader.
Then in May at the end of the spring concert tour she graduates. Sayumi and Reina take over their leader and sub-leader positions.
Early summer probably June the 11th gen auditions are announced. Shortly after Sayumi, Reina, or both graduate. Mostly likely early winter There might even be another gen thrown in there. And then the line up will be 8-11 or 12. Or the one remaining 6th gen with gens 8-11 or 12.

Please note that this is just my speculation for what I think Morning Musume's future in a year and half times will look like, and I have absolutely no way of knowing if all of this will really happen. However, it will most likely happen somewhere along these lines. Because it's just obvious that the 5th and 6th gen have to leave within a year or 2. The 6th gen might actually be able to squeeze another 3 year. Which I personally think it pushing it a bit, but Reina and Sayumi are only 21 and Ai-chan is 24. I do realize that Risa is only 22 but she's been a member for 10 years, it's too long.

Anyway, going back to the auditions themselves, I'm really excited for them. I really love all the fresh blood that's going to be in Morning Musume. I can't wait to see the auditions and pick which girls I want to join. I can't wait to see if my favorite gets added. I can't wait to see what the new members are going to be like. I can't wait to hear them sing. I just can't wait fot all of it!

Momusu shines for you only

After releasing the first PV preview just yesterday, Morning Musume has released the full PV for Only You. Which seems just a bit too early. But it seems like they are trying to ensure this single sells well.

When I saw the PV preview yesterday I knew exactly was this PV was going to offer. A video that look like all of their other vidoes. In more sense then one. It looks like all of their other PVs because it's set up the same way: dance shot, close-ups, and that's it. But it's also like all the other PVs because we see them focusing on only the popular members. Mostly Ai-chan and Reina. With Risa and Sayumi being secondary. But in this PV we also get to see a lot of the newest predetermined most popular member/newly pushed girl, Sayashi Riho. I liked Riho from the beginning because she was amazing at singing and dancing. But she is a little arrogant. And having her being pushed so quickly is just going to feed her arrogance until she's either Reina 2.0 or Miki 2.0. Which is starting to make me dislike her bit by bit. But that's neither here nor there.
When I saw the PV preview I wasn't really expecting anything more than just a pretty PV, filled with a lot of beauty shots. While the PV is mostly just that, they do try to add more elements to the PV. And they are trying to make it a little more interesting. And I definitely think they succeeded. In this PV there are 3 different close-up singing shot, 2 different places they are sitting down,  and a dance shot that flashes 3 different colors. And throughout the PV they really play with the gem/diamond theme. In their close up they are surrounded by diamonds, the lights in the dance shot are diamonds, and throughtout the PV little floating gems surround the members.
The PV isn't 100% amazing or perfect. But it is heading in the right direction. These past 2 Morning Musume PVs in my opinion have been really great. It seems that they are really trying to build Momusu up again. They are taking these new members as a great opportunity to transform Morning Musume once again. Will they ever reach AKB48's popularity? Absolutely not. Even at their peak they weren't at that level. I would honestly settle for 100-200k. Then they would be at most Johnny's levels, and we see all the pimping Johnny's boys get.

I love the diamond lights. They are completely simple, but add such a pretty effect.

I love love love the floating gems, it makes the entire PV interesting to watch.

This whole setting is really beautiful. With the think red curtains, and gothic style candelabra and glasses. It gives it this very old fashioned almost 1800s' feel. However, this whole scene makes me think of

this.

Or this. Either way really. XD

The dance is actually kind of nice. The individual moves look a little stupid, but when they are put together they work.

Reina looks beyond pretty here. The fabulous lighting and the glimmer of the gems just really bring out her face. She look gorgeous.

This is the first time that I thought Ai-chan looked good with her blonde hair. I used to think it didn't suit her, but I think it actually might.


Can I just say how mind boggling it is that by just chaning the lighting the dance shot place looks like a completely different setting. Look:

Natural light.

Red light.

Pink light. That is just crazy! XD

Nice boots. XD

This is a pretty bad shot of Sayumi. She actually look kind of ugly.

Zukki looks really pretty even if she has to look sad.

Am I the only one who thinks Riho looks weird here? In the Maji Desu ka Ska PV she looked bright and cute. It looks like the lighting in this PV is weighing her down.

This hairstyle does nothing for Fuku-chan.

Poor Eripon still looks awkward and unnatural.

This close-ups are pretty, but I can't get over the fact that those candles make it look like some kind of ritual. Lol.

Risa looks super pretty as usual.

Morning Musume-Only You PV preview

With it getting closer and closer to the release date of Morning Musume's new single, Only You, we finally have a PV preview. However, don;t get your hopes up because the preview is only 15 seconds long.

Even though the PV preview is insanely short it is long enough to get a tiny taste of what the PV is going to look like. The PV itself looks extremely bright. The contrasting shades of whites and silvers give this PV an extremely fresh, bright, and shiny look to it. And for that aspect the PV draws your eyes in. I do love the overall look of the PV because it just looks so bright and beautiful.
However, there isn't much going on in the PV so far. As of now all we get to see is Momusu dancing in a plain white room, which really hasn't been done since the Sexy Boy PV. And of course we also get to see the close-ups. The close-up scenes are actually really nice. It's just them singing around some shiny gems, but the effect is very beautiful. And it is a big step up from their usual close-up backgrounds.

So far, the PV seems to be relying more on the beauty aspect then an actual storyline. I'm actually kind of ok with that because everyone look gorgeous. I'm really looking forward to the PV. It looks like they might have actually spent some money on it.

A bullet Berryz can't dodge

With a little more than 2 weeks until the release date, Berryz Koubou has finally revealed the full PV for their upcoming single, Ai no Dangan.

After being utterly dissapointed by Ai no Dangan's PV, I shuttered to think what the full PV was actually going to be like. I was pretty happy to find that the PV wasn't as terrible as I had imagined it would be. I thought the PV was going to be close-ups and dances scenes, and that's it. Done, finished. However, that wasn't the case. Yes, it was mostly just close-ups and dance scenes, but this is H!P we are talking about. They hardly every venture outside of that comfort zone. This PV actually did try to be more exciting and dynamic. It was trying really hard to be interesting and impress the viewer. It was like the little PV that could. However, this PV never started it's engine down the proverbial train tracks. Instead we are left with remnants of what could have been a decent PV all jumbled together in hopes of making something watchable and half way decent.
There were a lot of gems in the PV that if they were executed correctly could have made for an outstanding and incredible PV.

For one the Abstract imagery throughout the PV. Abstract images and effects were scattered throughout the entire PV. But only used here and there and not really often enough. The images are mostly used for the dance scenes as something interesting to dance in front of. However, you hardly even notce it's there with the mixure of Berryz themselves blocking the view, and quite honestly wanting to pay more attention to the girls themselves, since they are the main reason you're watching the PV.
There are a few awesome scenes where they have purikura looking shapes pop up on the screen. Which by the way is my absolute favorite part of the whole PV. However, there are only flashes of these. And they are rarely used on the most opportune moments. They are the most visually appealing, and attention grabbing aspects of the PV. It's just really sad that they are used more. And the one opportunity they had to go all out effects wise was the background of the close-ups. However, they completely blew it. I guess they didn't want it to be too distracting so you wouldn't focus on the girls. But instead the results was just a very muted, understated, and slightly boring background image.

The opening screen in really pretty. Too bad the rest of the PV can't be this way. :/

Come on, with Maasa looking like this what are you going to really notice?

I love this effect.

Miya looks super pretty, but I just hate the background.

Here's another cool effect. But it's done at such an awkward time, that it's more distracting than interesting.

I guess color changing was done to amp up the PV. I'm not really impressed though.

This isn't really an effect, but I absolutely love the whole bond girls silhouettes.


The second thing being the projection images. Once I realized that the girls were on giant projection screens I was immediately intrigued by the whole concept. But yet again, it was a concept that looked much better on the drawing board. What the director of the PV must not of realized was if you film projection screens they quality is extremely poor. Mostly because any image blow up about 400 times the original size is going to massivly loose quality.
However, once I saw Berryz Koubou playing around with the projections by walking out of the screen, I was again mesmerized. Only to again be dissapointed. They only play with the screen that one time they walk out of it. I was expecting there to be more elements than that going on. They could have been trapped in the screen, done solo dances next to themself on the screen, or something else.

Why would anyone every purposely makes scenes with such bad quality?

I get that the projections were supposed to be creative, but ever single scene is just has horrible quality.

Not gonna lie, I was pretty blown away by this. XD


Another thing I didn't like was the motorcycles. Midway through the PV for absolutely no reason at all there are scenes with Berryz and motorcycles. Standing by them, sitting on them, trying to look sexy by them. I do realize that this was done to add some sexy appeal to the PV. But it was completely pointless. How are motorcycles even remotely relevant for a song called Love's Bullet or Bullet of Love?

Completely pointless.

The added effect doesn't even make it relevant.


Of course I alo have to talk about the dance. The dance is completely awakward. It's trying to be sexy and alluring but failing miserably. The dance moves themselves are too simple and sometimes stupid.

The dance consists of a lot of upward pointing.

Awkward.

WTF worthy hand holding move.

Lolz hip shake.

Here's the completely unsexy butt shake.

There's a lot of random shaking in this.

 Crouching isn't even a dance move!

Much like most recent H!P PVs the only redeeming quality about it is the girls. Berryz are looking quite cute and sexy in the video.

Risako looks gorgeous.
 

Momoko is a cutie.
 

  Gorgeous.
 

  Hot.

Maasa looks really pretty.