57 posts tagged “gakisan”

Sometimes little realizations come to mind at the most random of times....take for instance me watching an Arashi concert DVD and suddenly thinking to myself just a few *things*.......like why didn't I own a single Aichan or Gakisan shirt of any kind until now?..(._.;). With both being long time favorite members it's also quite wacky of me~ :P. That and why didn't I find out about rice milk earlier in life~? Tastes like skim milk and without any bad (゜ロ゜ノ)ノ effects!

*Cereal* officially has a best friend once again. o(*´∀｀)o゛♥..........

...and why does the line you choose to stand in at the supermarket always inevitably seem to take the longest? (price check? (・_・) )...what exactly is a "body pillow" supposed to be for?…(^q^).....was I hooked on dial up for much too long? :P.......could I really ever be happy enough to appear in one of those "Windows Mojave" video clips?......why does *popcorn* always taste better w/ friends & a movie?........how old is Keith Richards really??? (・c_・;)?.....and will he actually outlive everyone including the cockroaches...eww!!.....and what is "phenylketonurics?" which is said to contain "Phenylalanine"..maybe I should call 1-800 WRIGLEY to find out. (。ーωー。)  ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪~...as it seems to be in everything that's sugar free.......and why don't psychics win the lottery all the time?..or attend horse races where lots can be won? (Lady Cleo anyone? XD)....and if man evolved from apes, why are there still apes?....what exactly is Grimace anyway? O_o......and why does Tarzan not have a beard?..does he secretly shave with three blades or four? (Gillette should contact him asap~!).......why isn't H!P/Momusu available on blu-ray?......why can't Big Papi hit the ball anymore?.........and if salmon isn't actually salmon colored before we color it to make it pretty, why is it called salmon?.....when will the $ stop sinking?!! (;´□｀).....and would a guy really trade his girlfriend for a couple of BK Star Trek glasses? ・゜・(ノД`)・゜・。...surely this cannot be...ne~.

Oh and before I forget here are scans of Aichan & Gakisan's UFI photos which came with the Platinum 9 T-shirt sets.....I wonder if I could send Roger Federer one of these cute wristbands to wish him *luck* at Roland Garros? =).......................something tells me that I maybe should watch more Arashi concerts more often. :P

Both Aichan & Gakisan are soooooo ＊adorable＊ in these photos! ("fight!! photos always get to me! ♥~)...and photo sets which accompany merchandise which the members are either wearing or holding in them seems to make them a bit more warm and *fuzzy* it seems~. XD

I ended up indulging in seven of them.....lol but they're not all for me of course as two are for my brother~. =) He chose Tanakachi and Gakisan's designs......(Gakki is his favorite at the moment~)

All of their designs were soooooo adorable and immensely *cute* so choosing was quite the challenge for me personally. XD I love when H!P does these type of personal releases where the members get to share not only their artistic talent but also their personal side with these types of drawings~. While Kamei's "kame" was a must for sure I then realized that Gakisans' was just too sweet♥ to not order~!

But in the end it was Junjun's personal drawing which really attracted me the most!!! ………(゜∀゜)………。...while Chiichan's wins for overall artistic presentation I think! =)

I ended up ordering two of Junjun's caps....one to *adore* personally while the other is for a future giveaway (promise I won't wear it!!! XD ) that will be posted here later on VOX. Please stay tuned a bit later as I'm thinking of tying in the giveaway along with the Sprint Cup Series "Chase" format which highlights the final 10 events of their season....so hopefully it'll be much more exciting and fun this way~! ＾　＾ It'll be a tad bit different from the earlier Berryz Koubou single giveaway earlier this year and I think it may be more fun and engaging this way too~.

And on a final mind lapse moment..…(^q^) I somehow managed to order C-ute's pv DVD single for "Bye Bye Bye!" twice in a mixup of sorts.....or more likely me just being incredibly absent minded it seems! (._.;) So in light of my mind numbness which occurs way too often it seems in moments like these....I'll give away C-ute's pv DVD single during the same giveaway as Junjun's cap, so there will be a second winner to be chosen randomly for entering whereas Junjun's cap will go to the overall best score when the "Chase" is final at Homestead Miami~. =) Tanoshimi kudasai~! ＾　＾

Although these are officially 2008 H!P scarf sets they seem to be more like 2009 sets as both the scarves and photos arrived this year...with the latter arriving just yesterday. What's odd about this latest set is while both the 2006 & 2007 releases arrived with both scarf and photo sets accompanying each other, this most recent release was sent out with the scarves arriving first with the photos arriving at a much later date as mailed out by the official Hello! Project Store.

The scarves themselves arrived in mid January and can be seen here in an older post....so tonight I just scanned the six photo sets some of which I'll be sending out as they were very much belated Christmas presents.

Each scarf photo set is comprised of two 3 1/2" X 5" photos which are now going under the name of "Up Front International" instead of UFA as in the past...and the word "International" does give hope for us international fans out here as perhaps this may be a sign of things to come outside of Japan as H!P ventures into new music markets heading west and hopefully into Europe too~!

Only the Maimichan, Nacchi, Manoeri and one of the Momo scarf sets are mines to keep as the other three were gifts.....Shirow I'll be sending your Momo photos out along with the BK single you won here recently.....Momo I'll be mailing your Sayu photos very soon and of course the Gakisan set is for my brother. ^ ^ I hope you don't mind Momo as I scanned your Sayu photos but I was most most careful with them I promise! And I know my brother won't mind~ XD....Gakisan's photos are really adorable this year!

Each set has each member posed with their personally designed scarf both wearing and holding them....enjoy the scans! All very cute....hmm.......I think Maimichan's are my favorite this year! ^ ^

...or perhaps I should call them 2009 H!P scarves as I really thought that these would have arrived sometime last month but they just arrived today. From Ohta's messages it sounded like he was having some trouble acquiring them from the H!P Official shop and I'm guessing that maybe an extra high demand this year perhaps led to numerous delays on them being sent out. This years scarves are a nice dark shade of blue with each member's personal autographs being stitched on in various colors corresponding to each group's/member's color.

Each scarf measures an impressive 70 1/2 inches long and 9 1/2 inches wide....lol the scarves are a lot taller than I am! :/

I was so hopeful that they would have arrived by mid December that 3 of these are actually now very very very belated Christmas presents. >_<; What I still find strange is that the accompanying UFA photos which in the past have been sent together with the scarves are this time being sent out sometime in February. Hmmm.....it's puzzling as the photos are usually taken with each member holding their scarf design so wouldn't one think that these photos would have already been shot? Now I'm wondering if I should send these 3 belated Christmas gifts out now or should I wait until their accompanying photos arrive? Two of them are being mailed internationally so it's a bit of a dilemma right now as to whether I should wait or not.....and I wonder if it'll even still be cold by the time that they arrive??? When is the end of Winter??? (;´□｀)

So there are 2 Momo scarves, a Gakisan scarf, a Sayu scarf, a Nacchi scarf, a Maimichan scarf and a Manoeri scarf...I took closer photos of the ones that I'll be keeping below.....


The individual signature designs really add an endearing touch to each one and Momo's is still by far my overall favorite as her drawing is oh so so cute! o(*´∀｀)o Last year's designs with the wreath like emblem are arguably still the prettiest out of the 3 years of scarves that UFA has released thus far although I do like this year's design as well. The material is also very warm and cozy to the touch although even a Hawaii cold front wouldn't necessarily warrant the use of scarves here........(sigh)...I would have to reach quite a high elevation here to use one and not look out of place.

 
I can't wait to see how this year's photos will look and I'm wondering if they'll be once again larger 5X7's like last year's (above) as opposed to the traditionally smaller UFA photos which usually accompany their releases.

When I bid on this Momusu "Christmas" photo set I was so expecting the individual UFA photos to have some sort of holiday theme to them but in truth...they do not. :/ Still very cute and nostalgic though, but if only the members had been holding one of those "Hello!" snowmen or something but I guess those are only held once in a lifetime in H!P and that gets me thinking that perhaps there should be a "Hello!" snowman plushy re-union of sorts....like how The Beatles re-shot that classic view of them looking down from that balcony above when they released their 1962-1966 & 1967-1970 compilation albums when they were much older....well actually it'd be nothing like that but still I say bring back the "Hello!" snowman~! ^o^ Okay there is the mini photo album as well as the greeting card which are included in this set as well but those UFA photos...so not Christmas inspired. The 2002 Momusu member lineup is definitley one of their most memorable and I have to say that Nono's....um Santa is both nicely drawn and well sort of....um creepy~! :o Note his blue and empty looking eye sockets.....sort of reminds me of "Jeepers Creepers." :P

Well with the economy being so bad everywhere and Christmas not quite seeming like Christmas just yet I hope these photos at least add a little nostalgic cheer!.....just reminds me so much of how when Rikachan first arrived how she really was H!P's it cute girl!...and Gakisan's um handlebar hairstyle.......some things will never be forgotten. ^ ^

Up-Front Works continues to be rather creative with their Event V DVD releases which are sold during special release events and Momusu's latest features in addition to a "ANOTHER VER.-" which is a nice alternative to the original version, 3 separate versions which feature three members each. The trios include a "Takahashi, Kamei, and Linlin" version...a "Niigaki, Kusumi, and Mitsui" version...and a "Michishige, Tanaka, and Junjun" version. One thing to love about the Event V's cover/inner jacket artwork is that they're wearing the outfits which appear in the pvs versus the alternate outfits being worn on the other release editions for this single...love the black and silver a lot though but it's still nice to have the outer packaging represent what's inside. The groupings really do spread out the wealth of appeal and talent in Momusu in a most even way I think but I can't lie, the first trio of Aichan, Kamei and Linlin kills me the most!!! Just hard not be biased here :P...Aichan + Kamei = ♥ no matter what. ^o^ But truly each pv of a favorite trio has the charismatic dynamics of Momusu divided up in a perfect way making each version just as fun to watch as the next! And what's great about getting to see the group broken down this way is the longer amount of screen time in which each member enjoys with less members in each close up ver. pv to share with and it's always fun to see the choreography going on at times when members are void of any vocal lines...and that lends itself to some further discoveries such as.................


...the special award which must be given to Sayu for her rendition of the best "Jiggly dance" (you know when the keyboard calls for it and each member stands in place bouncing up and down in a most entertaining sense.) without question...she just puts the "J" in "Jiggly" by far the best for whatever reason as I'm still not sure why but up close and personal and for a greater duration of time she wins. :P And speaking of up close and personal, a second award must be given to Reinachan for being the closest to the camera when it counts!....like through the entire pv. The director may have been asking Reinachan to take a step back from the camera to give them some room for the shot but Reinachan clearly was having none of that...she's right up in your face the entire time, ♥ that!! I was kind of hoping that with her being so close to the camera that at some point she would either kiss it or slap it but unfortunately for fans neither occurred although my fingers were crossed the whole time. :P An award must go to Aichan for her amazing kick!!!! Not since Mikitty has a member of Momusu kicked butt so well in a pv! And a lot of that flexibility must be attributed to her years of previous classic dance training! She Mikitty and Rikachan should have a "kick off" one day or perhaps just one of those cheerleader line dances..that would be amazing! What am I talking about? :P


And here's the alternate "ANOTHER VER.-" pv:
And being that I never got around to a separate post regarding the original pv DVD single...just a few thoughts here.


While UFA has generally been aiming at even more extensive coverage in their pv DVD singles it's interesting for whatever reason that "Pepper Keibu" has a much shorter running time of 17 minutes while most group pv singles have exceeded the 20 minute mark as of late. But with this shorter running time the producers did employ a much different approach to the "making of segment" as the editors used a much less "formatted" sense in putting the footage together. It's without a doubt much more candid in its structure as the chronological order of cover shoots to dance shoots are pretty much jumbled up with lots of cute and fun footage intertwined between them in a spontaneous sense. I really loved watching the "making of" in this style as it keeps things lively and unpredictable and it's perhaps much more entertaining for fans when done in this fashion rather than being so "structured" and specific. ^-^ And I'm yet again reminded while watching the extra footage that despite all of the Kohachan bashing that goes on, Momusu would be a much less fun group without her without doubt....she always reminds me of just how much character and "AMP" energy she brings to the table each and every time no matter the circumstances or event....now that's indispensable. ^-^ The camera loves Reinachan and Reinachan loves the spotlight...they just go hand in hand so well and in a much welcome way. :) The producers did a wonderful job of transitioning the pv from a 70's look with the slightly "grainy" appearance, going to today's slick resolution working it seamlessly with the songs' feel...I thought that was brilliant. The staff in charge of the designs used for the stage backing, lighting, and member outfits captured the sheek 70's with a wonderfully simplistic and yet effective aura and the pv direction itself in all of its simplicity made the overall production that much more profound in this very sense. Ahh...the aurua of ABBA lives on.....sorry for babbling...owari.

Thoughts on "Pepper Keibu" the song, can be found here. ^-^

I don't know why but it feels like I haven't been this excited about a new J-Pop release in ages!...and you've all heard me swoon over releases time and time again but bear with me...I'm just on another cloud with this one! ^o^ Groovy!, Right On!, Afro!, Righteous! Okay now that I've got the lingo out of the way I can begin. :) If you're like me you pretty much missed that entire 70's era but luckily through our parents listening habits you may have become enlightened in the wondrous sound that is the 70's....and one day I do promise to watch "Saturday Night Fever" on DVD. :) The 70's were a glitter with outspoken fashion and coming out of the decade of "love" the remnants did linger on as heard in many songs and personalities of the decade. The styling and outfits on all 3 editions are heavily reminiscent here with a loud and sharp approach to the decade and it looks like all of our favorite Musume's have undergone a makeover of sorts as they all sport new looks....well that is all except for some reason Reinachan looks exactly the same. :/ Hmm....maybe she knocked out the hairstylist and told them where to go! :P Either that or the hairstylist(s) ate the very last of the meat at the company all you can eat H!P lunch buffet before Reina had a chance to pick! :O And we all know what happens to those that dare mess with Reinachan's meat! =) SEXY looks for all here and with Reinachan standing at the center of it all on all 3 editions it gave me the initial impression that perhaps this was her "feature" single of sorts.........I'm not hearing that in the recording but having not viewed the pv(s) just yet the visuals may tell another story but for that I'll  just have to wait as I'm holding out watching the pvs until the actual DVD release is delivered mid next month. Kamei has regained that Egyptian Queen appearance along with Linlin......not sure I'm acutally liking Linlin's look here as much though. Hot awards go to Gakisan, Aichan and Reinachan...they just appear to scorch the most in the visuals of this release thus far. Okay now that you've got your brand new disco ball hung high on the ceiling and your lava lamp plugged back in we can continue....(by the way what is the purpose of the lava lamp?) :/


Something fascinating about music in general is how its defining moments and changes have all come in decades. Music fans speak of the 50's, the 60's, the 70's, the 80's, the 90's and now...all in increments of 10 years isn't that funny how things have just worked out that way thus far? :) So when someone says: "That's so 80's..." you know exactly what they mean albeit its abstract sense.


Momusu has effectively brought back to life in an all new era the 1976 release by Pink Lady and while apprehension may have at first filled me up prior to its arrival...that's all evaporated now. Perhaps a retroactive nostalgic period has hit H!P......or maybe it's just that Tsunku has gone lazy...just kidding!...but it's quite something not seeing the always familiar Tsunku name in the lyrics and music writing credits but what it does offer to fans is something outside and fresh. Presenting to a younger audience a piece of work that is so far back in memory that no doubt the majority of fans today may not have even been born during its original release can present a challenge I imagine. But the production behind "Pepper Keibu" does so with flying colors gaining a perspective of the now with the infusion of the past seamlessly and oh so effectively. And while Aku Yuu's composition may have been given the treatment and nuances of today's stylings it for the most part has seemingly been kept to a discreet level, allowing the original song composition to shine through without losing any of its original appeal. Awhile back I was treated to a visual and musical introduction to the 70's mega hit group ABBA by Zdorama and having only known very few of their songs beforehand it was quite an eye/ear opening experience putting it lightly! ABBA released some of the most catchy music of the decade and although I don't know of any ties here, "Pepper Keibu" whole heartedly seems to capture that ABBA magic in it's uber catchy melodic sense and hooks which hopefully are filling your room at this moment if you clicked play above. ^-^ The vocal arrangements specifically are channeling ABBA in the layers of harmonies and phrasing used most notably during the pre-chorus and chorus itself. I'm talking pure ♥ here!! Not to be outdone by its sister track "Romance" in its own right should have made this a double A-side outright. Also penned by Aku Yuu, "Romance" is an equally well written groove fest with a bit of a more even temperament but in no way is it any way less alluring musically or vocally. At just 3:40 long this track is rather short but it makes the best of it during this duration and in particular I find Aichan's vocals to lead the way here rather poetically. Disco Queen? Perhaps! ^-^ Well I'm off to watch the 20 minute jacket making of and interview segments which are all part of the bonus DVD accompanying the LE jacket A version so from here the rest will be the visuals captured from this momentous release. LE jacket B brings back the much yearned for extra photo booklet collectible with outer slip case!!...a most welcome return would be putting it mildly for sure as I think most fans would prefer this over DVD extras in general so hopefully there will be more of this to come in future releases as well. ^-^ All three editions came with those serial numbered event cards which are only useful if you happen to live in Japan, and that being the only extra accompanying the Regular Edition...well that and the alternate cover art as well. :) Best looking jacket? Well I have to go with LE jacket B by far due to the member full profile images which sets it apart from the other two versions. In closing, what an amazing release for Momusu coming off the success and mature impact of "Resonant Blue"...surely the future looks and sounds bright whether it be original or cover tunes. :)  
And now for a look inside the much anticipated photo booklet... ...I've scanned it front to back. Enjoy! ^-^ Aichan & Gakisan so beautiful here!!! I have a feeling Reinachan's upcoming pb will eclipse all her previous releases!
Such incredibly styling throughout! Groovy!

...now what? Well the first order of business would be to start planning your next strategic step in world domination right after you have a manicure, dye your hair, pamper your poodle, get a massage, go door to door like a trick-or-treater looking for the next idol sensation.......wait! let's not do that last part. :P Looking around your grand ballroom which is located next to your grand jacuzzi/ steam room! :O, you already have miles and miles of tape of the next hopeful idols set to hit the VCR for your approval....er um I mean your top of the line space age DVR which apparently doesn't only playback some often hidden talent through auditions but it seemingly lingers on to create idols beyond what you could've ever imagined. =) Which car to drive today...there's seems to be sooooo many in the garage which looks more like a carport for a little community and Tsunku would like to personally thank each and every supportive fan for creating this wondrous life of his...um I mean yours. But it's just for today so you better get a move on.

Your first order of business...create your own brand of summer shuffle group for 2008...something that you've been neglecting lately, utilizing 7 Hello! Project members, those that you think would create that special spark that'll break through the Oricon charts and sit there for weeks...(cue evil laughter!)..............(now cue Tsunku's version of "Koko ni iruze!") Quick press stop!!!! :P At first the initial idea was to include only the three main H!P groups...Momusu, Berryz Koubou, and C-ute to choose from...however this style of poll allows for up to 29 possible answers to be embedded so I added 6 additional H!P members to the original 23. I've been having some issues with embedded files and if the poll above isn't displaying properly and the "vote" button is missing after Matsuura Aya's name please use the following link to reach the shuffle group poll: Summer shuffle group poll.

Okay now that your 2008 summer shuffle group lineup has been set the next item on your agenda gets even better:

In order to determine an overall fan voted dream H!P group the inclusion of the vast H!P family must be considered so by following this link you will be able to choose from 52 Hello! Project members which includes every notable group/unit, every solo artist, and even a little venture into the H!P Eggs in the event that you see potential that they will bring to your dream group. Here you'll be choosing your 10 dream group members. I'm limiting the Eggs here though to only include those who've actively been involved in official music releases but at the bottom of the poll you may enter any other Egg's names whom you'd like choose for one of your 10 choices and in this event you'll essentially be adding their name(s) to the ballot. (I wasn't able to embed this 52 member poll although I did try repeatedly but it just wouldn't display properly so that's why I've linked it above instead.) ^-^


Both polls will close on August 30th at midnight (EST) and the results of the top 7 (2008 summer shuffle group) and top 10 (Dream group) respectfully will be posted  afterwards. Have a nice day...just please don't record another version of "YOUR SONG~seishun sensei~" or "Go Girl~Koi no victory~" while you're Tsunku...you're beginning to scare the kids!