小さな夢の箱 v1.12010-02-14T02:23:45+09:00montevi77邦楽について色々の思いみんなに届け!Excite BlogPAINhttp://dreamsbox.exblog.jp/12850219/2010-02-14T02:23:47+09:002010-02-14T02:23:45+09:002010-02-14T02:23:45+09:00montevi77Personal
What is love? If you keep thinking of someone is that love?
片思いなんて嫌だ。しかし、コントロールできないことだ。]]>Lovehttp://dreamsbox.exblog.jp/12785228/2010-02-05T01:47:00+09:002010-02-05T02:09:39+09:002010-02-05T02:09:39+09:00montevi77Personal
The reason? お嬢様に恋してる。あるいは、お姫様に恋をしている。サレナが大好きです。
What is love? I always believed in the magic of love. But for every bit of joy it has brought me, it promises to return me in sadness ten-fold.
Would I rather have not loved her? I only wished that I could turn back time to 2 1/2 years ago. i would have changed so many things. Tried to be a better person. Protected her from the demon. Did my best not to make her sad. But it is all too late. She will be going, and she has someone else to love her. And she probably deserves the person too. He will definitely be able to give her a better life than i can.
What a poor loser like me do to deserve her? Nothing. She is way above my station. Why would she even look at me when there is an MD to look after her. An ambition-less, dumbass otaku who does not look or talk well does not deserve a princess by his side.
But I do treasure the moments she has given me. The few pseudo-dates... were the best i ever had. Beggars can't be choosers can they? The outing at the park, the movie, the museum trip, the jogs....how I wish i could relive them over and over again. Only in my mind ... once she goes back to Shanghai.
i just can't get her out of my mind. Every waking thought is spent thinking of her. How she will be gone soon. This is driving me mad. And I still can't confess to her, for fear that I will not be able to see her again next time. Should i confess? The problem with confession is the fear of the harsh reality that will soon follow. The inevitable rejection. if she is kind, she might do it gently, but somehow I don't think so. The tough princess will play it straight and my already broken heart will be shattered into a million irretrievable pieces.
Would it have been better not to fall in love with her? i don't know. but it was not an option that i could have chosen. it just happened. Thinking of her soft smooth face makes me smile. Her gentle smile is angelic, and her laugh... i love to make her laugh. It is heart-stopping. Just hearing her say "Thank you, Darren." is enough. She is not perfect, but to me she is worth more than any other idol I can think of. i would sacrifice myself for her, if need be. i just want to make her happy. Will hiding in the darkness make it so?
お姫様、幸せに。
What should I do??????? i know I can only be happy if i can be with her. yet that it is not something i can control. And will she be happy with me? When I consider that sometimes i think that it is indeed a pointless existence. Why bother living if it is in constant heartache? 片思いのは一番一番辛いことでしょう。 The truth is that to quote Portishead, nobody loves me. And it is a sad, harsh but true reality.
i am just a coward. But a coward also has his day of reckoning, and mine is coming soon. I just need to know WHAT to do. ]]>It's 2006!... againhttp://dreamsbox.exblog.jp/564164/2006-01-30T18:21:28+09:002007-07-27T20:34:22+09:002006-01-30T18:21:29+09:00montevi77Personal
Luckily it comes without any obligation to actually talk with said relatives most of whom I have no idea which hole they came out from and who I only see like once a year... I just spend my time watching TV at my uncle's place as always (so my happiness every year pretty much depends on which DVD he decides to play). This year it happened to be Fantastic Four
and then Madagascar, which I thought was hilarious, but he had to
then turn the DVD off halfway to watch some traditional CNY singing thing, $#$^&!!!! (at that point I requested to leave) Another boring start to a boring year!!!!
Anyway, I do realise that I failed to bring any decent closure to my past year thanks to me never really stating what I thought was good (and bad ) ala Santos for most of the J entertainment world so out of a sheer inclinity to crap here is another sneak peak into what makes me tick ...
Stuff of 2005 Part 1
Favourite Female Singers
1.Aiko Kitahara X
2.Shiori Takei X
3.Hayami Kishimoto X
4.Hitomi Shimatani *
5.Ai Otsuka *
6.Mika Nakashima X
7.Aya Ueto *
8.Azumi Uehara *
9.U-ka Saegusa IN db X
10.Ryoko Kuninaka
Special. Kana Tachibana
X denotes the guys whom I've managed to attend concerts or events for last year while * are the ones I almost got to watch.
Yes it was a great year with my 2 trips to Japan coupled with me being able to go to the fabled Giza Hills Bread Factory at last to watch my favourite ladies perform. It was a small, standing and cozy underground venue but the atmosphere was way better than normal concerts. I guess 2005 also marked the year I went gaga over Aiko and Shiori, I love their songs so much!
Aiko is a real cutie in person, she has such a pixie face, and she sings her songs with such enthusiasm, I love her latin beat, and for sure she will be in my No.1 spot even if nobody else loves her like me on JPM! The only grouse I had with her show was that she didn't perform my all-time fav aiko song, Fuyu Urara for some reason, arguably that was the song that created my fandom in the first place. :(
Shiori has such an amazing and unforgettable voice, my breakthrough artiste of the year lol. I'll never forget her show at Sakae, acoustic unplugged, songs like Tsunagari and Sekai Tomete, it sounds cheesy but they really touched my heart, shame that my hp which I recorded the song on secretly is now dead. And I got to shake hands with her ^___^ Shiori has jaw-droppingly stunning vocals which kind of converted me from a casual fan to an addict lol. I was mad about Tsunagari from the middle of 2005, I was listening to it almost everyday ever since I heard it.
Hayami has such great energy, even though she was only the guest on the OOM show I went her segment was the most well-received, she is really a sexy mover on stage, even more so than what you see in her lives or pvs. Really electric movement that brought the crowd up and jumping. Her dancing is just O_O. I won't forget her dancing to Britney and Konya wa Kaeranai, probably her best non-single track ever.
I just missed seeing Hitomi Shimatani perform because of a train delay T_T but she had so many great singles last year (esp Falco, what a great dance) my love for her is rekindled again lol. Nobody doubted her singing ability but she really showed that her dancing was something to behold as well, mesmerizing!
For Ai Otsuka, I wanted to catch her concert tour but I had to leave Tokyo a day too early :( , I thought her live DVD was real blast so it was kind of a waste, 2005 was again her year after such a great 2004, with her Love Jam album surpassing Love Punch (let's not talk about Love Cook though lol) and her Planetarium doing so well. Who can forget the Kuroge song with the weird title and the dirty lyrics?? And the version that one likes probably reflects on one's personality as well ( *hint* I like the album 735yen version more lol) She's equally good at doing cutesy songs (Smily) and ballads (Bidama -- One of my favourites) But the most special ability I thought she had was her art, with the weird stories she created and drew with the rabbit-creature Love-chan, you can't find that in any other artiste today! It's just so darn kitschy cute, the thing.
For Mika Nakashima, I went for her concert in NHK Hall but it was kind of a disappointment considering i paid 6000yen or so for it, because I was sitting all the way at the 3rd tier at the back, a far cry from my Giza lives when the artistes were a couple meters in front of me only (and that costs half the price!). There was NO big screen -- which I thought was pretty rubbish of NHK not to have one -- so I could pretty much have just stayed at home, watch an ant dancing while listening to my Mika CD and have the same effect. Yeah, it was that bad, and from this I learnt the golden rule of concert viewing: If you're not gonna sit in fan club seats, bring a #$%#$ pair of binoculars! Singapore concerts are much better in the sense that there's always a big screen so people anyway could see clearly (in fact, even Giza had large TV screens mounted on the ceiling at Breads Factory, but not NHK!) The concert itself was fine but because I didn't do adequate research before watching (ie. listened sufficiently to non-single songs) much of the stuff was lost on me, but I gathered that she did quite a few nana songs like Glamourous Sky and My Medicine which I ended up hearing for the first time (more on Nana later!). The worse was that she didn't perform my favourite songs -- A Miracle For You was not performed but played ON THE PA SYSTEM after the concert ended @_@ , not to mention stuff like Resistance. The fact that I'm still grousing about this months down the road shows the high expectations I had for the concert which wasn't really met, a real shame. Mainly, I learnt that small intimate standing venues trump large concert seating venues any day, besides being cheaper, for the sheer atmosphere and view. But in the end, I still appreciate the experience of going for a real concert. Too bad that's the price you pay if you like famous artistes...
Aya Ueto was another missed opportunity, because I happened to be in Osaka when she had a concert. The gripe was that ordering was not done through pia but through some stupid phone booking system which neither me nor my friends could get to work properly, seeing that it is offline half the time. And it was hell difficult to find ticket resellers in Osaka unlike in Tokyo so out of desperation I decided to look for scalpers instead, but they quoted me a 10000yen price which I couldn't afford despite me desperately wanting to due to the front-row seating (yes I was on a shoestring budget trip then unfortunately) so all I could do is sob outside the concert venue and curse the sky, sadistic scalpers and whichever yakusa they work for lol. I didn't even get to see the concert merchandise they were selling!
For Azumi, she was one of my old favourites as I really loved the album she released some years back, so I eagerly bought her comeback single (I didn't have enough money to go to her UK Night live though -_-), but the single (Himitsu) wasn't really that great. But I hope she could do some better stuff later on in 2006 *cross fingers*
Oh U-ka U-ka, the most popular Giza girl after Mai K, she is the definition of genki I have to say. Her show was the funniest and the most energetic, and she was the only person (ok band) who did so without any guests whatsoever!! How often do you see people play games and skits on stage with the audience, the banter was amusing and her groupies in front were real crazy people lol. If I had to compare U-ka to anything, it would be an Energizer Bunny. Again the only shame was that she played a lot of songs I was unfamiliar with, so as a whole I thought Aiko's Giza live was the best.
Finally, Ryoko Kuninaka is one of the actresses I like, but I do enjoy her folkish Okinawan songs as well, although she isn't a "full-time" singer, she doeshave a good voice.
And Kana has to be put in the special category, because she isn't a real solo, but I just love her "Kono Hito"! One of my favourite songs and ballads, she's undoubtedly the best vocalist in dream, the reason why I followed dream in the first place all the way from 2001. I'm so sure I will be playing this song during my wedding if I ever have one lol. I just have to watch her and Yuu once in my life, and if she ever performs this song again I think I will have died happy. XD
More later!]]>恋する?!キャバ嬢http://dreamsbox.exblog.jp/394354/2006-01-16T20:22:17+09:002006-01-17T03:37:20+09:002006-01-16T20:22:17+09:00montevi77Yuu Hasebe
First thing, I want to complain that D-Addicts didn't bother to release the most hotly-anticipated (for me anyway) late nite dorama-cum-sex-comedy... Koisuru?! Kyabajou! Why oh why? If they can release all sorts of crap shows,
retarded Singapore dramas and even that Tokumei Kakarichou Tadano (a late night dorama full of sex+nudity), why not Koisuru Kyabajou, starring a (to date) wholesome-to-goodness idol-of-idols and Queen of Girl Pop Land, Yuu Hasebe? (and supported by Nao Nagasawa) Surely there must be a lot of interest in this show among dorama fanatics (or is dream that unpopular... boo hoo... ;_; )
From the previews Santos has shown, it's kind of like a sex comedy... maybe along the lines of Korean movies recently except without the "real" sex (I mean...it IS Yuu... even Iwamayu didn't have "real" sex in Deep Love... I mean despite the "48 positions" stunt, it's more bizarrely funny than erotic) And given that it takes a look at the very sleazy but still intriguing cabaret industry (of which I have zero experience in, obviously), it promises to be a really different kind of show aside from the conventional "Girl Loves Boy" or "Love Triangle" zzzz type. I mean, I do want to know if Yuu finds out money is more important or her boyfriend's love (they break up promising to meet again in the first ep). Does she return to him after three months? Or will she be in cabaret forever? So I'm crossing my fingers hoping that somebody will share this...
Anyway, here's a look at the cast during their press conference a few weeks back. Yuu, Nao, Saori Yamamoto and other lesser gravure idols...
Yuu looks so girly in her pineapple hair and pink dress.
How can anyone imagine her working in Cabaret?!? And having all kinds of dubious and bath scenes in the show... there goes her pure image... sobbbbb :tears: "Give me my old Yuu again..." But with the "sex bomb" rubbish hot image being in vogue now apparently (curse you Kumi!), looks like Yuu has to shock and titillate otakus to progress. It is certainly a period of "transit" for dream now...
Nao looks like she will make a good cabaret girl. I would gladly pay 30000 yen for her company. (besides, I've got her IV so I know how good her figure is... And she has just come up with another IV apparently O_O Should I buy it?) XD XD
During this conference, Yuu said that when they asked her how she felt about her role that "この話を聞いたときに一回やってみたいと思っていたのでうれしかったです。撮影に入ってキャバ嬢のいろんな苦労がわかってやっぱりやりたくないと思いました(笑)" "When I heard about the role, as I wanted to try it [being a kyabajou] out once, I was happy. But when I started filming, I learnt the difficulties that a kyabajou faced, and I decided that I don't want to do such a thing anymore." Luckily, Yuu won't be changing her profession soon and we can all breathe a sign of relief lol.
Now I just need to wait for Santos update on the latest episode, although apparently it's no "48 positions" Kama-sutra shocker like the first one... guess you couldn't really top that.
And just like thea, I'm hoping to see Chikan Otoko too, starring Yuu, Nao and Sayaka Isoyama... it looks like a funny show to me... I mean, just look at this picture from Yuu's homepage. So funny... poor guy... or rather lucky guy. I wouldn't mind being hentai-ly tortured by 3 babes and imprisoned.... XD
I'm not sure if I will get the DVD though. Maybe somebody will share it online. XD
Finally, I wonder if Yuu will come up with more IVs and photobooks this year? I'm so glad that I contributed to her #1 ranking in the idol DVD ranking. (as she said in her message board, "昨日のランク王国では、2005年アイドルDVD売上ランキング1位を頂く事も出来ました(>_<)(13位にも入ってました!") Since she released two... I'm guessing the No.1 DVD is Natural. Not sure though... In any case がんばって、優ちゃん!I will continue to support you. ^__^]]>Giant X'mas - full PV out!http://dreamsbox.exblog.jp/76069/2005-12-05T16:26:40+09:002005-12-06T03:44:00+09:002005-12-05T16:26:40+09:00montevi77Girl's Box
As usual thea always comes up with the news first when it comes to Girl's Box XD but she hasn't done a review on the full pv of Giant X'mas so I thought I'll do one! And obviously first priority will be "Michi watch" -- I mean she got 0.2 sec in the first version so how much better with "Pity Michi" do this time round??? There was tense anticipation in the air as I started the clip...
First things first though I gotta say I really like the effect of the ribbons with the "mysterious green light ball" at the front going through the air at the very start of the pv, nice touch!
Then as before we see the 4 protagonists of the mini story appearing before us: Yuu Hasebe, Aiko Kayo, Nao Nagasawa and finally Nanase Hoshii, in that order. In case you are wondering why Yuu's pix is hovering away from the rest, it's because she's the queen of Girl's Box duh (yah you can't have her seen near the "lowly ones" like Aipi lol), and not my poor HTML skills. XD XD
Then as you may already know they go on to have a mini-story as before with the 4 girls walking around, Nanase giving a really constipated shocked expression near the front (forgot to cap that lol), Aiko trying to act cute as usal with that hand sign in the waitress outfit (urgh! that's one thing I can't stand about her... yes I will include this in my upcoming Aipi rant)
and of course she had to look ridiculously like a flower bed near the end... (ok i'm just being evil)
But back to the main topic: Michi watch! Amazingly she had a "major" role in the pv (at least compared to her "cameo" last time). I counted 2+1/2+1/2 appearances in the first chorus (I'll explain the half later), 2+1/2 appearances in the second chorus and none in the last refrain. As she does not appear in the story at all, those are the only places she could appear in the pv, naturally.
For each appearance (always during the "Yay yay yay sha la la ding dong" part) they generally give her a few seconds screentime each so adding together she could easily have gotten around 10 sec in all... ok not much it's really good already considering her minute role!
Here's some caps of her dancing with the group
As for the meaning of the "1/2" appearances, it's because there are parts in the pv where you could not see her head at all, for instance here
Michi is standing to the back, behind Hoshii and to the left of Shizuka. No head but you can recognise her by the clothes. So she had 2 of such "virtual screentime" in the first chorus and 1 in the second although I did not actually add this to her total (I mean, how many eagle-eyes viewers will know it is her?!)
But actually, the best news is that she actually had "solo" time on the cam! WOW! (amazing, looks like the camaraman and video editor did pity her after all)
Yes, around 1 to 2 secs worth of Michi goodness for fans to drool over. Now you MUST know she is there.
Rats, gotta evacuate to my friend's birthday party now (or rather to buy presents, king procrastinator that I am, I have to leave it till the day itself XD) , will continue the analysis when I return!]]>Yuu Hasebe 2006 Calendarhttp://dreamsbox.exblog.jp/55854/2005-12-01T18:26:41+09:002005-12-01T18:26:41+09:002005-12-01T18:26:41+09:00montevi77dream
However, I was kinda disappointed that the clothes/bikinis worn were the same as those the I Love Yu pb (except for that black bikini), which I already had, so you get the feeling that it's kinda recyled... guess she hadn't had time to go for a special calendar photoshoot... too bad. :( One good thing is that at least the calendar is better designed this time than previous years, such that they actually had perforated lines for one to tear each month out easily. Well, actually I don't like to tear months out but flip them over, but that will ruin the calendar this time round...
Anyway, here are the pix...!
Click for full picture
Actually honestly speaking i still prefer her to be wearing nice clothes rather than bikinis... coz i still don't really think of her as the "gravure model" type... (old habits die hard... unlike Michi or Nao lol) That's why I think she looks the best on the 4th and 7th pic, although she does look great in that black bikini too.
I wonder if she will be releasing more dvds in 2006? Or will she be progressing further in her blossoming acting career? She already had quite a few supporting roles in doramas so far and she had a lead role in the Chikan Otoko movie opposite Nao Nagasawa and Sayaka Isoyama which just finished. I just gotta try and catch that one for both Yuu and Nao!
It's a shame that she doesn't get to hang out with the rest of the dream members often now because of all this extra work, but I hope their team unity will stay strong. She is the "Queen" of Girl's Box Land but I still want her to do things with her "subjects" once in a while lol! In fact, I wonder if she can be found in the Transit pv even? (I guess even if she isn't, that's only fair since she was the only one found in the previous pv) Sometimes, with all the stuff the dream girls are doing nowadays, like futsal training, I really wonder where they find the time to come together to actually record this mini-album! Nonetheless, I'm reasonably confident that it will be a quality work ... just waiting for my order to arrive now! ]]>Wish Listhttp://dreamsbox.exblog.jp/36677/2005-11-27T18:01:12+09:002005-11-27T18:21:46+09:002005-11-27T18:01:12+09:00montevi77Personal
Things that I am getting this Christmas
1. dream - Boy Meets Girl (album)
The anticipation has been building up for this mysterious "concept album"... can't wait! The theme is the title... I wonder if the pv will have a story again...? (like Kono Natsu ga Owaru Maeni)
2. dream - Table Calendar 2006
39p of pics! I have never bought a real table calendar before and it will sure make a nice change from the generic free ones I have right now, although I would not be able to bring myself to write any notes on it, that's for sure. All photos taken and produced by Aya Takamoto. You know, she's never really been my favourite but I'm growing to like and definitely respect her more and more. She can do everything! From updating the member diary frequently, to performing miracles during futsal, being the virtual dream cheerleader and now taking all the shots. She is GOOD!
3. Yuu Hasebe - 2006 Calendar
Wall calendar! So it can definitely complement my dream one. It's her first solo calendar, I think... I wonder if it comprises of bikini shots....??
4. Harenchi Punch - Megaphone (single)
I definitely want the limited ed one-- it includes the director's edition of the Hakusen~Start Line~ and Megaphone pvs... I wonder what's the difference???
5. Garnet Crow - Garnet Crow Best (album)
It's beautiful! The packaging. Picture book, CDs, everything stuffed into a nice box. When I saw it, I knew I had to get my hands on it, especially since it is their best album after all!
6. Azumi Uehara - Himitsu (single)
Wayyyyyyyyyy overdue. Azumi-chan, it's been 3 years!!!!!!!! I missed you.... ;_;;;;; Her first album was so good... It was a terrible wait. I almost thought she was never gonna release anything again.
7. Hitomi Shimatani - Heart and Symphony (album)
Well I have to hunt for the overseas ed but I'm sure it will be in the shops... the latest songs are the best she's done in a while, she really never disappoints.
8. Ai Otsuka - Love Cook (album)
Gotta get the overseas ed for this one too, since it will also be there. Still hasn't decided if I want the photobook or picture book ed? I got the picture book for Love Jam and I always thought the story was very interesting...
Under consideration
1. Sayuri Iwata - Thank You For...
Oh.... I'm sorely tempted to get this one. I didn't really pay attention to her when she debut but thanks to some promotion from hananokoi, a big Sayuri fan, in JPM, I find I like her works more and more now. Her songs are pretty good. It includes her last 2 singles, and if the songs are anything like those, they'll be fine. Should I give this a go?
2. Girl's Box - 3rd Christmas
Ok... I'm feeling very guilty now for not getting this, since it's not doing well on the charts, despite being boasting the biggest "all-stars" lineup yet! It must be that evil "Kayucks' fault.... X_X What should I do? i don't especially like this year' song...
3. Michi Saito - Dakara...
I'm feeling more and more confident that I will eventually get this one... she's like those doe-eyed puppies you see in the pet shop whose eyes seem to tell you, "Don't you want me? Boo hoo..." yah well, I'm a sucker for that kind of thing lol.
4. Mi - M-1 (album)
Oh I really want to get this one... just can't find the $$$ for now.... Maika rox.
There! Any donations to my Jpop fund will be welcome, just drop me a msg. XD In return, maybe I will reward the donor with some clips from my large Jpop clips collection, lol. (if only I have labelled them better!)
Anyway, in case anyone is wondering I guess I just ought to list down the artistes who I support... I'm kinda pragmatic in the sense that I normally don't buy singles unless they are really cheap (eg. 2nd-hand stuff)... well I can't afford it duh! But I will buy their albums.
Artistes whose albums I would definitely buy
Avex
dream - fav girl group... they can do it all!
Hitomi Shimatani - quality assured!
Ai Otsuka - very quirky lyrics+songs... weird Osakan humour!
GIZA
Aiko Kitahara - I love her... lol. My all-time fav GIZA girl. Wonderful songs, and she can speak Spanish! I don't know anyone else that does Latin music like her. New DVD out 1/1 - that's more money gone!
Shiori Takei - her quiet songs calms the disturbed soul and her incredible voice touches my heart...
Hayami Kishimoto - fantastic dancer and performer!
Azumi Uehara - finally she has returned... Ohisashiburi
U-ka Saegusa IN db - genki ippai!she is a living dynamo of energy
Others
Boystyle - my 2nd fav girl group not for no reason!
mi - need to hear their new band sound once it forms!
Tommy February6 - oh I love Tommy retro!!
Harenchi Punch - they have been impressive so far
Aya Ueto - genki hatsuratsu!
Ryoko Kuninaka - I really love her Okinawa-flavoured songs, but she's another one that's been lying low
The Brilliant Green - not that they have released anything in ages
Zard - more out of habit though because I've been buying their stuff for like, 10 years, lol, although their songs now are not that great
Artistes whose stuff I consider buying
Giza
Sparkling Point - irresistably catchy tunes
Rina Aiuchi - although her songs aren't always that good
Garnet Crow - singles are good but otherwise does get boring
Sayuri Iwata - fresh face, fresh voice...
other
melody - really really really really pretty... <3
Bon Bon Blanco - the only "bongos group" around... irreplaceable
TommyHeavenly6 - more rock than TBG
Mika Nakashima - great voice, plus I've watched her concert...
Berryz Koubou - more cute tha c-ute... and they get some of the best H!P songs
Kaela Kimura - really no other reason to watch Saku Saku
move - best dance-rap-trance group in town
Nakanomori Band - softer kind of rock
Sister Q - need to hear more from them though
Changin' My Life - they have reformed!!!!... amazing. I wish I know the full story behind it
Younha - well she had that ONE song that I'm crazy over...
Yuna Ito - Endless Story was good...!]]>D.D.D - Heart (Pop Jam)http://dreamsbox.exblog.jp/31228/2005-11-26T05:22:10+09:002007-07-27T20:40:03+09:002005-11-26T05:22:10+09:00montevi77Live Review
But anyway at least I found out inadvertably while scanning through the rest that Koike Teppei was in WaT (a fact that I had somewhat forgotten).
WaT had a really long segment in PJ this week. While I was watching I though hmm... his face looks familiar... ahhh Dragonzakura! If I am not wrong he was the guy with the pink extensions in his hair, the guy who was not the nerd nor Yama-p (who Masami liked in the show...grrr...). He looked totally different now, but I never thought badly of him, because he had the kind of face that looked friendly and sincere, someone you want to be befriend. No wonder the girls like him. As opposed to those arrogant looking guys (like a certain T Kimura) who I cannot stand watching because I feel like punching the TV set when he steps on all the ladies on the time in the doramas but they still flock towards him like flies to honey for some bizarre reason. (Luckily he got cursed with an ugly wife-- hah!) They also showed Teppei's younger photos and old footage... he was cute! Boy-boy cute, to be exact. I might just be supporting this guy from now on lol. His partner -watshisname- though looked like some Eurasian though.
Oh, before I deviate further, back to the main course... D.D.D was all the way at the back in the Break artistes section. Which I expected, since this was their debut single. Being addicted to this song for the last week (before Megaphone took over), I was curious to see how they will perform. It was only today that I realised D.D.D actually stood for Dance Dance Dance, because I hadn't exactly done too much research on them...
For some bizarre reason, even though I had watched their Melodix perf of Heart I always thought D.D.D consisted of 5 people. Watching their live today, I realised what was wrong. They looked horribly... unbalanced. Yes, it's the poor symmetry! Just see the caps.
It can be seen clearly that there are always 2 girls on Maria Sakamoto's right during almost all the dance (something that was not evident for Melodix due to clever camara angles and frequent close-ups of Maria). It looks WEIRD. Couldn't they just recruit one more girl, or better yet, rework the dance part so that they can spread out more evenly? Surely it can be done? The problem was that Maria was relatively stationary most of the time singing at her position, so the other 3 have to be dancing by her side -- so it was always 2 and 1. It looked so damnedweird that I actually went to check their website because I thought maybe one member was absent or something.
One thing I have to say though - D.D.D can certainly dance. Symmetry aside, I'm quite impressed by their dancing. I especially like the part below during the bridge when they did a circular rotation and took turns to do solo dancing at the front.
As for the vocals, I already knew from the song itself and melodix that Maria does not have great vocals. You can see that she cannot really hit the high note during the "ashita e to..." part of Heart. But somehow tonight seemed even worse, she sung so hoarsely it was like she was having a sore throat or something. It wasn't so bad during Melodix. And her supporting cast didn't help much, because despite all of them wearing headsets, which was evident during the talk,
I could not remotely hear any of them during the song itself, above Maria's reedy voice. All I could see was them opening and closing their mouths during the chorus. Hmm, were they singing or breathing?!
In fact, I finally figured out why the group was called Dance Dance Dance, because that's just about only the only thing these 3 girls ever did.
Anyway, faced with the fickle PJ audience, it didn't bode well for the group, and indeed most of the audience put their uchiwas down, leaving them with a pathetic score of 37%.
which left them at a crap ranking of 42 which put them below most of the others except the truly crapoids like VoVoTau, who probably wouldn't be saved by the audience if there was an earthquake.Compare their score to that of Angela Aki, who got 92% or something last week, something I haven't seen since... Younha? Too bad, she picked the worst possibly ball during the lucky draw (which newcomers having 90+% qualify for) ... tissue! I was rolling on the floor with laughter, not just because of the result but because she was so anxious in the first place she spun the globe holding the balls so quickly! XD
Anyway that said, I have a lot of sympathy for D.D.D, because it is a GOOD song. And I like these kind of catchy dance anthems (not so much the cheesy -although insanely catchy- europop ones like those that Hinoi Team sometimes give us, which can get one sick after a while) a lot. And they dance so well (could I say sexy dance moves?)! So they actually deserve a higher score than 37%, at least above prehistoric jokers like... Jurassic?!. Sadly, I don't really see much of a future for this group, at least based on the results of this single anyway. They have to change their main vocalist -- Maria's voice cannot really cut the mustard, unlike Asuca Hinoi --, add one more member if they want to persist dancing this way. Maybe they can recruit Nana Katase, she's the last artiste I remember who was performed this sort of dance songs, lol. I wonder what happened to her? Whatever the case, I will be looking forward to hearing more from D.D.D !]]>ハレンチ☆パンチ - メガホンhttp://dreamsbox.exblog.jp/27364/2005-11-25T05:19:11+09:002005-11-26T00:46:35+09:002005-11-25T05:19:11+09:00montevi77Song/PV Review
「負けてもいいじゃん!朋美と翔太の高校三年間はなにも変わらないよ。」
Yep, the lyrics are all about a high school girl finding the courage to declare her love for her classmate. (lol how i wish this sort of thing ever happened to me) Maybe they could have named the song 「高校の中心で、愛を叫ぶ」 instead? This is definitely one to add to my karaoke list... And what do you know, it's again written by the girls themselves (just like 白線~start line~) ... Well I definitely have more respect for the "real" artistes who create their own work, so even though these lyrics aren't exactly profound (well they are high school girls after all) it does make me respect them a lot more! You could tell that Harenchi Punch won't likely be the sort that are quitters, in school, in love or in music...
And you really got to love the PV as well. The dance where they wave the megaphones in circles in the air (why do they remind me of the 野球clapboards?!) and turn left and right while doing those funny horsekicks is so cute...
I guess the only looker in the group is Tomomi. Don't you think her face is very round? Like... dumpling? Or bao?
Mako looked kind of weird (I think her ears are too big?) last time round although she looks better now while
Saya "TF6" still has a funny face, with or without those specs... ah well.
Hmm, Tomomi likes Avril Lavigne! And she thinks she is 二重人格. Hmmmmmm... I wonder what she means by that...... (she's naughty and she's nice?) Seems like all of them come from Kinki region -- Saya from Osaka and the others from Kyoto. Ah, this just goes to show that Osaka prefecture is the best city in Japan for music. (don't forget Kana, Shizuka, Ami, Aya from dream hail from Osaka too! Not to mention countless GIZA artistes -- do I feel like running back there now or what)
Here's the "enigmatic" smile Tomomi gave at the end. Hmm... the cap doesn't do the actual scene justice. Ka-wa-ii....
1. Kana Tachibana
2. Yuu Hasebe
3. Ami Nakashima
(there will always be a spot reserved for Mai Matsumuro though)
My favourite Dream songs in order:
1. Get Over
2. Stay ~Now I'm Here~ (Original mix)
3. Kimi to Itasora
4. I Love World ~Sekaijuu no Shiawase wo Utaou~
5. Movin' On
The top 3 are certainly some of the best Jpop I've ever heard: Get Over is a dancepop classic in my opinion and Stay ~Now I'm Here~, one of my favourite ballads ever. It almost moved me to tears last time.
Favorite Dream albums
1. Dear...
2. Process
3. Euro Dream-land
Ok so they didn't actually have that many albums to choose from, but it shows when their best 3 albums are the ones from the 3-nin era. Dear... is peerless, really.
My favourite Dream PVs
1. Get Over (it's really really cool I feel which more than made up for the delay it had in making, if anyone still remembered Kana was injured at the point in time)
2. Music Is My Thing (cosplay show ... really funny)
3. Stay ~Now I'm Here~ (It just has a really nostalgic and dreamy feel to it... filmed beautifully)
4. I Love World (loved the way they showed the girls doing all kinds of funny things, playing about in real life and how the lyrics appeared here and there on the screen)
5. Sincerely ~ever dream~ (Mai on the piano... set in a school... sure brings back memories)
My favourite Dream "dance" moves
1. Movin' On (the funny opening-your-heart hand movement ^^)
2. My Will (both fists knocking together...)
3. Private Wars (too complicated to describe =p)
4. Reality (jumping up and down...)
5. Music Is My Thing (dancing in costumes is always cool in my book...)]]>夢 物語 (continuation)http://dreamsbox.exblog.jp/25982/2005-11-24T21:58:53+09:002006-02-03T03:28:03+09:002005-11-24T21:58:53+09:00montevi77dream
...
Last but not least my Daydream VCD, at its peak I was watching it all the time, although they looked stupid on the jacket, and I am (still) disappointed that there never was a full version pv to Access To Love, after all... The talk that they included was enlightening and nostalgic. By comparison, even though the PVs for daydream 2 was better (esp Get Over -- best PV ever?!?) there was much less member input, if at all (I think there wasn't any talk, was there?)
"Avex" Part of my room wall
Ok I have 20 posters on my wall altogether but since I am talking about dream i shall only highlight the "Avex" part (I like to arrange the posters by association). One Hitomi Shimatani "Falco" (brilliant song!!!! I love it) poster, one dream "Natsuiro" poster (it comes with a story) and one Nao Nagasawa "Love Body" poster (she is hot but she CANNOT and SHOULD NOT sing. This is the only CD I have that I must admit I SOLELY bought because of the free poster given :roll: Her voice is just too whiny! -- I rather regret not buying the DVD version of it now though because the pv is great...)
Anyway, the reason why I have only one Natsuiro poster is that it is IMPOSSIBLE to buy dream posters in Singapore, period. I know a CD shop that imports posters but never have I seen a dream one (It's always MM, Mai K, Ayumi etc). So I have been deprived of their presence on my wall for abt 5 years :P until I went over to Japan in May. Immediately I went hunting up and down CD shops, asking if the Soyakaze no Shirabe poster was available. NO LUCK. Because the single was released in March all the shops that gave away this poster that I asked had already finished given them away by May. :(
Ok, never mind. In July I went back to Japan. Now, there was the free Natsuiro poster to be gotten! When I saw it on the Net I know I HAVE to get that one. Problem was, Natsuiro had 2 versions. One was the limited edition photobook version and one was the DVD version, which cost 700yen more. Even though I am a dream otaku, I am also not a wealthy otaku, so I decided I would want to get the limited ed photobook ver instead, especially because I had downloaded the pv anyway. So I hunted all over Aichi prefecture where I was working, and also Osaka where I went twice to watch a show. Problem was, all the places that had the llimited ed were either not giving posters or had finish giving them away!
When I was in Osaka, the one place I found that had a poster was Shinsaibashi Tsutaya, and it only had the DVD ed. Due to certain bad experiences in the past, i decided to take the risk and continue looking rather than buy the CD there and then to get the poster. Alas, my gamble failed, and on my return to Osaka 2 weeks after my initial trip I immediately sprinted back to the Tsutaya there. To my great horror, the CD was still there but the poster was no more! The shop person told me it was all given away -- what luck! Subsequent visits to Namba and other possible locales which I have not checked drew a complete blank as well, and I was resigned to never having the poster. I could have almost stabbed myself.
So on my return trip to Nagoya, out of sheer despair I decided it wouldn't hurt to ask the very busy Shinseidou at the top of JR Takashimaya whether they still had it. In my experience, the odds of such busy CD shops still stocking posters more than one month after the release date is approaching zero. But what do you know...! It actually still had a copy!!! I was so shocked I was virtually stunned speechless and really, I thought I must have fallen into a drain and smashed my head silly or something. Alas, I was so excited, I forgot the cardinal rule of poster collection -- always check the poster condition before you leave, so you can exchange it if necessary. As luck would have it, there were some terrible dents that I would have noticed had I actually opened it outside the shop -- none of the other 10 posters I brought back were spoiled in any way. Fortunately it's not that obvious once it's on my wall, but against the light... >_<;;;;
Still, I must really thank that Shinseido branch-- not only has it provided me with a poster of my fav idol group (dream) but also one from my fav GIZA singer (Aiko Kitahara), which was really hard to find as well.
Well this is more or less the end of my dream tale, I have rambled a lot haven't I? Thanks for reading if you could be bothered, and if you couldn't I honestly couldn't blame you either, this was more for my personal records than anything, heh.]]>夢 物語http://dreamsbox.exblog.jp/25962/2005-11-24T21:55:00+09:002005-11-26T00:57:20+09:002005-11-24T21:55:01+09:00montevi77dream
I was in kind of a crazy otaku mood recently (inspired by the great santos26) and decided to take some pix of my dream collection to share with everyone... while not the greatest collection for sure it is hardly inconsiderable either (including every 3-nin single+album)... and share some stories and comments about them with everyone who can be bothered to read... basically my whole dream story, if you will.
*click on the pixs below for bigger image
dream calendar collection (2002, 2004, 2005)
I wasn't so much into dream calendar buying before 2004 and I was really lucky to be able to actually buy the 2002 calendar when I went to Japan this year! Undoubtedly the 2002 calendar was the best of the lot (this should make clear that I think 3-nin era dream rules over the 7 and 8-nin versions)... the photography was superb and I just love the mature and elegant images that Mai, Kana and Yuu had inside. It was similar to that from their "Process" album, which I still feel, even till now, had their best ever image, a bit departure from some of the cheesy costumes or casual clothes which they wore for some of their other works. How should I put it... it was "artistic" (to me, anyway).
2004's cover wasn't bad if you're into "naked" girls on the cover (btw, none of them were remotely close to naked inside the calendar itself). Really really loved Ami's smile on that one (yah, that goofy smile and her cute actions really melted my icy heart and made her my undoubted fav out of the 2nd gen bunch).
2005 was... how should I put it, kind of boring. I didn't really like the clothes they were wearing. In fact they wore better stuff for the Natsuiro album. Although I didn't regret buying it (how can I, because Kana+Yuu had another solo page for themselves :heart: ), I didn't put it up either...
Of course, I am missing 2001 and 2003... will keep my eyes peeled for those although it is seriously unlikely that they will be sold anywhere. (they should be like national treasures by now). And very disappointingly, as mentioned earlier in the thread, their 2005 calendar will be a table-sized one. :crying: And is ONLY available in Avex Shopping Arena, which means it can't be ordered from overseas. Boo. I'll have to think twice about buying that one. Have to comfort myself with my Yuu calendar for now... (waiting waiting for it...)
dream merchandise and YUU!
Ok, admittedly I don't have much merchandise, but AVEX didn't help by not opening an AVEX shop or something. Why is there only H!P shops? As a "Girls' Box Union" citizen I would seriously much rather buy idol stuff from Avex girls. To get the best dream goods, you have to attend their lives and events. This is obviously close-to-impossible for a foreigner, especially when I will have to probably travel all the way to Tokyo for it. (in any case they did not seem to have any lives at all on in the whole time that I was in Japan, to my great disappointment, only in the US)
The closest I got to them was during the Futsal tourney in May, when I actually made it to the door of the stadium itself, only to find that I could not afford to pay the scalper for the tix-- 10000yen >_< In any case, they were not even selling Avex goods at the stadium-- only Gatas merchandise and I think Carezza. I was really really disappointed, especially when the Team dream shirt looks so good, with my fav number 77 emblazoned on it (and the nice thoughtful people in Avex had to produce it in such low limited numbers that it was sold out at the shopping arena in less than 3 days, possibly one. Nice work, guys). That was a shirt I would have gladly forked out 6000yen for. Sure, there were other dream shirts, but you can't expect me to wear a "I Love Yu" shirt all over the place, and the Aya-designed shirt was regretably ugly, especially that bulldog. Call me old-fashioned, but such artwork is best left to the canvas.
Anyway, I rambled too much -- time to mention the merchandise that I actually have. First up, I really love the Seven Colors A4-sized laminated promotional flyer thing. Since I will not (and cannot) waste money buying their whole trading card set, this was the best alternative. The 3-nin dream file was quite a find-- at the back was actually an Inuyasha picture, so this was probably used as a promo item then. I got both of them at an idol shop in Nipponbashi...
The rest are my Yuu collection... what can I say, she's stunning as a gravure idol, a "Natural" (no pun intended), certainly I couldn't imagine anyone else in dream doing it. The [i]signed[/i] Yu and I special edition photobook is definitely my prized possession! It was great, it even included a photo as well, well worth the 1300yen. Of course the DVD was a great watch too :heart:, and Yuu looked even better in the 2nd pb than the 1st, if that was even possible. It even came with a giant poster... but it was of the "folded up" and not rolled variety so it will not be nice to put it up.
I threw in the Memew into the mix as well because I bought it solely because Yu was inside and on the cover. The sad part: I had a 50% chance of getting a Yuu trading card (6 out of 12 possible cards of different featured idols were in the issue) but nooooo I had to get all the unknowns. I could not have the consolation of having a Meguru Ishii card, she is a really cute gravure idol that I pretty much like now too. Ok, so I got Risa Ai, but she was never really one of my favourites... I didn't exactly shed tears of frustration and regret like what I did over Mai when she left the group... Risa was more like a forgettable cutie pie, although I do wish her well in her solo career.
dream singles
What can I say, this is the pride and joy of my whole dream collection. The bulk of it was bought this year when I was in Japan, and now I have every single dream single bar one... Can you see which one it is?
[size=1]It is I Love World. And yes, I am still actively searching for that one... I love that song[/size] In fact, for 3 of them I actually have 2 copies for different reasons...
As you can see, I've removed the trading cards from the singles and placed them beside. I got Kana for Movin' On (^^) and Mai for Heart on Wave and Private Wars. Yes, somehow despite buying Heart on Wave twice I still got the Mai card -- frustrating to say the least. (I would rather get Kana...) For Our Time, one of the copies was overseas ed... I decided to get the Japan ed too, while I liked the special package for Soyokaze no Shirabe. The most valuable single out of this bunch should be Night Of Fire, because it's virtually extinct almost everywhere in Japan I looked. I must say that for 2nd hand CDs, which some of my singles were, the Japanese keep them in remarkable condition (stickers, cards etc intact, box uncracked, CD unscratched). And sold at only 100yen!
Ok, while the best packaging is certainly the clear plastic box for Soyokaze no Shirabe, I must say that my favourite single has to be Stay ~Now I'm Here~. Not only is it my favourite dream ballad ever, but I just love their image, wearing dinner dresses. A sophisticated look, so to speak. I'm still perplexed that Soyokaze no Shirabe is the song chosen by Avex to be promoted, when it was obvious no matter how many times I listend that Story was a far superior song. Ok, maybe not as good as AI's Story, a different song with the same title that was a smash earlier this year, but nonetheless much better than Soyokaze no Shirabe, which was honestly annoying to a certain extent, plus I never liked the white-and-silver costumes they wore for the lives.
Oh, I forgot to mention that I threw Kana's solo single, Kono Hito, in as well. That has to be one of the best wedding ballads around, and it's a shame that it wasn't more popular. I was crazy over this song for a long time, and Kana sang it so well, with such feeling. I swear that if I ever get married, if I could help it this would be the song following me up the altar.
Anyway, the curious thing about this single was that there was a jigsaw puzzle inside... yes, an actual mini jigsaw, although given the number of pieces it will take a normal person probably around 30sec or maybe less to solve it. XD Actually Kana also has another solo track, on the Slow Dance soundtrack, but I haven't had the opprtunity to hear that one - I wonder if it's any good?
dream albums and visual collection
Ok, i know-- there are quite a few missing. Specifically both the 777 albums as well as the ID album. And I don't have any of their live DVDs. In mitigation, I must say that DVDs are really expensive, I have very little money, I could not find them at a cheap enough price in 2nd-hand shops (although I did find REALLY cheap Dream World and Daydream 2 DVDs -only 1000yen- on sale, due to some circumstances I was unable to return to the shops to buy them... sob), and I have already downloaded most of them...
As for the albums, I was never really too enthusiastic about both the 777 series, especially after hearing them. The voices of the newcomers would never match up to the high standards 3-nin dream had set, even if Yuu and Kana were still around to lead them on. And I was right. Even worse, the arrangements of the songs were changed such that they resembled not so much like the original but a bastardised version, like its evil twin who was run over by a car or something. Ok maybe my analogy skill need some tweaking, but trust me, the new arrangements does nothing to make the weaker songs more listenable, and in fact made some of the good ones turn boring and mediocre. I mean--- just listen to Get Over! What happened to the original heavy dance beat and bass?! Now it sounds like some crap processed over a keyboard with a few guitar riffs thrown in. And a best of album without Stay ~Now I'm here~ ?! What the fxxx...!
I guess the vocals didn't really help, although they weren't that bad (that honour has to be reserved for someone like Mayuko Iwasa maybe, although that's another story) ... but Kana, Mai and Yuu were such a perfect combination, with their flawless, powerful and unique (esp for Mai) renditions of their individual parts and smooth combination for the chiruses, it was always going to be "another side story" for the new dream. IMO, these albums should never have come to be... although I still feel somewhat obliged to support them.. I guess I would buy them eventually, especially since Yesasia still claims that they're giving away a poster with the 777 ~Best Of Dream~ purchase (kind of sceptical).
As for ID... well I always wanted to get it too but never got around to it, I don't know why... :P somehow I neglected to buy it when i was in Japan (too busy searching for Natsuiro), and it wasn't exactly cheap in the 2nd-hand shops either-- anyway my task was made harder by the fact that I wanted the limited ed (the one w the DVD) and not too many of them are still circulating, I imagine.
As sort of a consolation, I got the dream ID dvd magazine instead! Ohhhhhh I love this one so much. It is just HUGE, beautifully wrapped and in a nice styrofoam packaging which cushions the CD and provides the backing for the large photobook which is attached. Apparently there are different versions with attached photo cards or something that you can buy from shopping arena but I don't think mine is one of those, since I do not see any. And hey, this is 100% certified RARE. I did not see this package anywhere else besides Fukuoka (bought it at the Bic Camera there) and luckily I decided to get it there and then. No other DVD or music shops I went to had it, this wouldn't have been hard to spot since it was so damn huge.
Now for a teeny recap of the other albums:
They first started with Euro "Dream" land, a remix album... I know, how strange to have a remix album before the first album is released! But it shows the quality of their songs, and how hot Night Of Fire was back then. It is the definitive Eurobeat album for me till today-- no one else matches the energy and the quality, although Hinoi Team is trying hard. The Movin' On remix-- sometimes I might even like it more than the original!
Dear... was a classic in terms of songs. Almost all the songs were dream classics, like Movin' On, Private Wars, My Will, Night Of Fire (best ver ever), Sincerely (the original mix) and my personal favourite, Kimi to Ita Sora -- The best ballad they have next to Stay~Now I'm here~, original mix (which was a bit more touching). They were a great mix of pop, dance and ballads. It was the album that sparked off my album and long may it reside on the pedestral. And hey, I even got a Kana card with the album, which I thank my lucky stars for (I'll just cry if every single trading card was of Mai...)
Process on the other hand, was slightly more of a mixed bag, a musical departure from Dear... (concept album if you will) but it does have some great classics, including my personal favourites Get Over and Stay (the album "brilliant version" was kinda crappy though-- stick to the single vers). For the first time, each member had a solo track to perform, and (unsurprisingly?) Mai had the best one of them all, Never More. Mai is simply a great talent-- the talent that she already showed in Dear... (which she wrote the lyrics of 9 out of 16 tracks, with Yuu and Kana contributing 1 each) she wrote the lyrics to 10 out of 14 tracks. Kana and Yuu wrote the lyrics to their solo track and contributed one more each to the album. So basically -- this was truly a [i]dream[/i] album, because they have upgraded themselves from mere dance poppy performers like HP artistes to actual producers, thespians (maybe this is too strong a word though?) of music -- all the lyrics came from the hands of the girls themselves. And Mai wrote the best lyrics-- just look at the lyrics for Negai, for example, which was another standout track. It was simple, yet conveyed the message, the story, the thoughts of a girl who had just a simple wish, beautifully, IMO. I guess this is what helps elevates 3-nin dream from other idol groups, in that they had such a huge role to play in the songwriting process. It's my belief that it is through lyrics that a window is opened to a person's soul (think of YUI and her songs), and it is as if dream have opened a door to themselves, you feel that you actually understand a wee bit more about them through what they write.
Hence, you can understand why I was so disappointed when the new dream came out. Out with the pop and in with cheesy dance tracks. Luckily they abandoned that after one album, but it was never the same again, the lack of input in their works is disappointing. Without even considering the crappiness of releasing 2 self-cover albums, one just has to look at the lyrics sheet of Natsuiro to see that exactly zero of the songs are written by any of the girls. Come on Avex, I'm sure Yuu and Kana must have had some kind of lyrics done! Why not give them a chance again?
It's at these times that I miss Mai -- although she has a revived website now, which is great, because who knows -- she might make a comeback someday, or at least write some songs for dream. She actually visited the Aichi Expo you know!! When I was working there. Shame, she either did not come to the Singapore Pavilion or came while I was off, or I would certainly have given her a warm greeting (that is if I don't faint on the spot) if I had to serve her.
Ok, I diverted a fair bit, to steer my direction back to the album in question, I thought the girls had the best image ever. Just like in the Stay single, and in their 2002 calendar, it was of the classic/classy otonappoi look, with a combination of denim and dresses with "batik-ish" prints. I guess it was the locale and the lighting too that contributed, as it was shot in some castle or something I think. Whatever, it was good.
The Eternal dream album... how would I put it, although it was supposedly a best album, it did not include many of their singles nor the songs that I loved, strangely enough, although the remix portion was good. It did have Mai's farewell song, Sincerely~Ever Dream~, which will always remind me of her when I hear it :crying:
Dream World was 7nin's first effort, and although I honestly could not say I love the songs (except for Music Is My Thing... which was great and had a brill, funny PV to boot), I guess they were serviceable, but ultimately disposable. Most of the songs were really short, good for those with short attention spans I suppose, but problem was most sounded too similar. Package-wise, this suggested the attempt by Avex to really turn dream into an "idol idol" group by really pulling out all the works!! They was a trading card, sticker, table calendar, DVD, photobook squeezed into a nice fat box. Very nice indeed, otaku tengoku surely. Oh, I forgot to mention there was actually a CD too hidden somewhere.... :P
For dream meets Best Hits Avex, they stopped covering their own songs and turned to covering Avex classics instead. Commendable, but the piss-poor arrangements ruined most of the songs as usual. Avex must be running short of quality producers or something. It was really good to hear the classics, some of which I do not have, like Samui Yoru Dakara... (trf) which I think they did well. Of course, they had to throw in their own I Love World too again... but hey, I've no objections, it is the BEST "new" dream song after all! I loved all the different versions of the pv (there were 3, I think) which showed the members playing all around the place, having fun, generally goofing. Very very cute. A karaoke fav for me... :P The limited ed came with some dorama DVD, but as I did not get that one it's still a complete mystery to me what that is supposed. I really wish someone would share more dream stuff on BT.... Although the Kana+Yuu sticker did cheer me up somewhat. ^^ Very annoyingly however, I have misplaced my CD... or maybe some cunt has borrowed it and never returned, grrr. I always forget who I lend things out to...
And now the latest of the lot, the Natsuiro album. It was good, although not outstanding, and the summer songs conveyed the mood pretty well. A good effort, as a whole. For me, the outstanding songs were Blue Navigation and Kono Natsu Owari Maeni, which marked the first time they have had a "story" (feat Yuu, of course, as the love interest) as a pv. Or maybe the others were just too busy playing futsal and getting injured at that point in time (probably May and June) to make the pv... :lol:
I had a hell of a time trying to grab the poster for this one (story below) that I will never forget. Suffice to say I think that their image for this album is the best they have had as 7-nin -- casual, colourful clothes for a comfortable summer feel. I will be making another attempt to get the limited ed soon, for the photobook...
(post to be continued above!)]]>Favourite Songs of 2005 + Stars and Flopshttp://dreamsbox.exblog.jp/25934/2005-11-24T21:50:05+09:002007-03-07T22:59:13+09:002005-11-24T21:50:06+09:00montevi77Jpop General
Anyway, my Top 10 songs are as below (I included a couple of end-2004 songs as I only heard them in 2005 so... hope it's not illegal Tongue) It was impossible to choose only 10 songs, because there have been so many great songs that I have heard recently and loved... (in any case I threw in more at the end Roll Eyes)
Technically this song was released in 2004, but I only heard it in 2005... so forgive me here. He He... since it's my song of the year (although it was really tough choosing between this and Tsunagari)! ^^ I've been listening to it over and over and over again for the past 6 months, and I'm still not sick of it yet. The tune is enduring, the lyrics simple yet effective, and Younha has a beautiful voice for ballads. Plus I liked the pv too.
2. Shiori Takei - Tsunagari (05/07/06)
This was the song that made me sit up and take notice of her. The piano melody (written by my favorite GIZA songwriter Aika Ohno) is hauntingly beautiful, sticking to my mind and refusing to let go, one would certainly think of it as "night music", if there ever was one. How fitting that the pv was set in a music club. Shiori has the most amazing voice I've ever the fortune of hearing live, better than Mika Nakashima. Pitch-perfect. The lyrics, describing the ties we cherish in our life, and written by Shiori herself, were meaningful and really struck a chord with me.
3. YUI - Life (05/11/09)
Admittedly, I did not like any of YUI's previous songs much, but when I heard this song I was hooked. The melody was infectiously catchy, and when I went to look at the lyrics I realised that above and beyond that, YUI was a great lyrics writer too; the lyrics for this song seemed to mirror her own struggle, seemingly describing her thoughts and how she would not give up in her lifelong wish of being a singer, how she remained confident, pervering till it finally came true. Simply inspiring.
4. Mi - Mirai no Chizu (05/02/02)
Anyone who watches Ai no Ri will know this tune, an infectiously upbeat tune. I really enjoyed their first album as it has some smashing happy pop band tunes, looking forward to hearing more from them. They are recruiting new members (a guitarist and drummer) for the group (as they only have a vocalist, bassist and keyboardist now), hopefully when the new additions arrive they will produce even better music than before.
5. Nakanomori Band - Whatever (05/05/25)
Another all-girls band but completely different in style from Mi, Nakanomori Band does Western-style pop-rock tunes instead. I feel that Ayako Nakanomori's strong (not shrilly) vocals complements their style perfectly. From the response on their thread, people seem to dislike this song but I can't understand why, it is just so crazily catchy! You really do feel like saying "Don't care! Whatever!" like they do to the world after hearing the song. Surely, this is the perfect song to represent the rebelliousness and apathy of youth, a time when one can still leave the cares of the real world behind, showcasing the traditional spirit of good ol' rock n' roll.
6. Aiko Kitahara - Fuyu Urara (05/02/09)
My all-time favourite Aiko tune, it has such a nice winter feel to it, an upbeat (but not cold) love song, coupled with a classic tune (again written by the versatile Aika Ohno), perfect to welcome the season. Aiko has been my favorite GIZA singer for a while and she certainly hasn't lost her touch!
7. Kaela Kimura - Happiness (04.10.27)
Another end-2004 tune that I only heard in the beginning of the year, I loved the tune straightaway. I guess I'm a sucker for happy catchy rock stuff, but this song is irresistable. Tongue Plus, it had such a fun pv. I had not even heard of Kaela before this but this song made me a convert. One of the rarer rock n' roll chicks on the Jpop scene.
8. mihimaru GT - Negai (04.07.28)
The pioneers of so-called hip pop, catchy pop songs and ballads with dash of hip hop flavour added, I only got into their songs later this year but they were pretty good! Indeed, this song seemed to be a favourite of many others too. I don't like normal hip hop tunes but mihimaru GT has made their songs accessible indeed. Plus, Hiroko's voice is also easy on the ears. ^^
The world may be constantly changing, but one thing always remain the same: No matter what happens, Hitomi Shimatani always come up with great singles, and these 2 are no exception. I really couldn't decide which one I liked more, so I threw them both in. Shimatani has a great, smooth and silky (even flawless) voice for both singing fast songs and ballads, and she is a fantastic dancer to boot; the songs are great but listening to them is only half the experience -- her live performances of the songs have to be watched to fully feel the beat of the songs, with the great costumes and choreography amongst her and her dancers! Plus, she's quite possibly the most beautiful lady in Jpopdom, right next to melody. Valentine
10. Younha - Touch (05.09.07)
Since I started my top 10 with a Younha song I might as well end it with one too. What can I say -- this is a brilliant remake! Younha brought so much more life and energy into this song than Yoshimi Iwasaki. I guess the modern arrangement helped (I don't quite like the dated sound of the original) but Younha's voice sparkles with life. I really like how they incorporated some headbanging guitar and piano solos this time round.
Plus, watching her trying to dance on stage (funny hand movements!) and in the pv was interesting to say the least. He He
The rest of my top 25 that were close to making into the Top 10!:
11. Mi - Sunset
12. REIRA starring Yuna Ito - Endless Story
13. Saki Fukuda - Attack No.1 2005
14. melody - Realize
15. Sparkling Point - Mainichi Adventure
16. Sister Q - Step One / Natsu no Biyaku
17. Harenchi Punch - Hakusen ~Start Line~
18. Tokyo Jihen - Toumei Ningen
19. Ai Otsuka - Bidama
20. dream - Story
21. D.D.D - Heart
22. High and Mighty Color - Pride
23. Nakanomori Band - Sentimental Place
24. Aya Matsuura - Ki ga Tsukeba Anata / Zutto Sukide Ii desuka
25. Morning Musume - Iroppoi Jirettai
Finally, a special mention has to go to Zone's Egao Biyori. I couldn't find a way to fit it into my top 25 but they had produced so many memorable songs down the years, it's still sad to see them go. Crying With Maiko on the comeback trail, I'm still hoping Miyu and Mizuho can continue to make music in future (although i don't mean that lousy R&B stuff, Miyu!) ...
Ok, I have to make an appendix to this list. I have just become addicted to Harenchi Punch... help!!! Their Megaphone song is so addictive and catchy... how did it not get into Oricon Top 50?! (though we will see at the end of the week) Tomomi is really cute, of course while the other 2 aren't really there I appreciate the rapping and TF6 girl's (is her name Saya or something) attempt to play the guitar. The so-called "dance" with the megaphones is really really cute... plus the "kokuhaku" part in the beginning. I especially love the way Tomomi smile when she attempts to rub out the word "love" on the blackboard and then stops. Basically they all look good in the pv though. I thought Hakusen ~Start Line~ was good enough but this song rocks just as much, if not more... I have to seriously consider inserting them into the Top 10 since there's a couple more weeks to go till the end of 2005.
Now for the extra segment. Basically, I'll talk about some relatively new groups that impressed me this year --
1. Harenchi Punch - very unique rap-sing-guitar trio concept, outstanding single tracks. Potential to go far! (if not, joining some tarento boxing tourney might be good too) i appreciate their effort to "punch out" the Harenchi elements in japanese society through their songs, although the direction does seem misguided...
2. Nakanomori Band - another unique band playing American style pop-rock -- great sound. Enough to inspire me to make a thread on them. Their single is doing pretty well on the Oricon too... shame that the guitarist left
3. Mi - What can I say? This really shows the diversity of Jpop, as Mi plays a totally different brand of melodic pop-rock mixed with ballads. Their songs are great -- especially Mirai no Chizu which is well on the way to becoming a classic, as well as Sunset, a touching ballad. Their album is surprisingly good too, with many listenable non-generic tracks, a fusion of pop with a little rock and a sprinkling of fun. What's more, Maika's big sister apparently wants to be a singer too-- wow. Another Kumi - Misono in the works?
4. Sparkling Point - Another trio but more of a vocal unit this time... not exactly sparkling voices, but they can sing pretty good, they're kinda normal-cute (if that makes sense), plus they're from GIZA, the greatest record label in Japan, so it's another 10 bonus points straight away, lol. And their Mainichi Adventure rocks.
5. Sister Q - First 2 singles sucked (if they wanted to cover songs, they could have chosen better ones!) but Step One was great. Why oh why did I not watch them in Osaka -- I knew I should have skipped that damn kaiyukan. Sexy ladies, one cute girl called Masami in the centre (sort of looks like Sugar's Ayumi) and one 15 year old (!!!) Aya on the right, well this Aya can SING! I was impressed with her deep and mature vocals, definitely better than Masami and Ayano. They have a future - these sister "queens"!
6. Buzy - Well they are not that new (debuted last year)...If nothing else, they get full marks for determination. After being part of flop-group Color years ago, Nao not too long ago returned (with some of her ex-buddies? im not sure..) for a second shot at success with a girl group. And boy -- she can sing. Better than at least 95% of all idol group vocalists, Nao has rich, deep and powerful vocals. She should try going solo, really. Buzy songs aren't bad, but they're not exactly getting much exposure now either, although it has improved greatly with their tv appearances (apparently the first for Buzy) for "Pasion", a nice latin-flavoured song, Ayaka Komatsu even acted in the pv. Audiences finally get to see a talented "idol" singer behind the mike, although I wouldn't quite say Buzy is an idol group, more of a vocal group, with Nao at the head. Although it's hard to see them skyrocketing to success, it's hard to begrudge them either. I hope Nao makes it this time.
Sort of middling...
1. Hinoi Team - Haha, I've always liked Asuka Hinoi, but hearing their Eurobeat songs brought me back to the days of.... dream. Well, at least the dream party album, anyway. Disposable upbeat euro dance pop -- perfect for a leisurely day. Even though the gokirri guy tried to mutilate the song, if I really shut out his "vocals" (or rather growling) I could find myself appreciating Hinoi Team's effort at superceding their superior peers. After all -- dream totally owns this song, it's brave of them to even try.
2. D.D.D - Ok, so I put them here on the mere basis that I grew to love their song, Heart (ignored it at first). The dance tune sticks in my mind and insanely drills its way into my cranium like those machines in the Matrix. Admittedly, Maria doesn't have the greatest vocals (and the rest of the group are just what-- backup dancers!? They could have called this group Maria Team!) but hey, it was a good idea to break from the flop of an entity called Bishojo Club. Dance-pop is better than the crap-pop that BC21/31 delivered...
Groups that suck / continue to suck
1. Sugar - Sugar and spice, but nothing really nice... Although Ayumi is really really cute with her bambi eyes... *sigh* Guess I could always just watch the pv...
2. Perfume - Their songs are horrid. Period. Tacky clothes and dated technoish dance-pop music is a perfectly (crap) combination. They don't even look good.
3. Jewelry - Songs are not that bad, but hasn't actually done anything significant either to distinguish them from other flop groups from Korea
4. Paradise Go!! Go!! - New members, same sucky songs... It's no wonder they are the poor cousins of the Girl's Box Union with their desperately unintersting songs. Maybe they can really dance well, look good, sincere to fans, etc, but not having a single memorable song is their fatal flaw. Although I admit I pity Koterika for having to live in a ramshackle house with a broken air-con and having to fight giant grasshoppers (now where have I heard a similar sob story before...? hmmm....) ... If anything, Misaki still seems like the highlight of Parago to me -- the only girl that really catches my attention -- well that and the fact that she streaked her hair too to make the point...
5. SweetS - Same situation as PGG, but maybe not so bad, although having 2 members desert is never good (they do have their rabid fanbase). At least I could still recall one or two more memorable songs from them -- although I felt they were never really that nice -- but their recent songs are terrible... they are so mediocre (especially On the Way), I couldn't bear listening to it again after the first time. I highly doubt new fans will be taken in by these tracks. I have to admit that I always think of them as the "little" group (because all the members seem so small sized and short). Luckily Haruna is still around, or they might be in deeper trouble, who knows. Life is not all that sweet...
...and the Missing
1. Boystyle - Where are you guys?!? I miss you.............. Good luck with your NHK dorama anyway, Eri. You can make it as an actress with your "suppin" fresh looks, I'm sure.
2. Bon Bon Blanco - Another group that has gone MIA. Where am I gonna get my bongo music now? :(]]>CD Collectionhttp://dreamsbox.exblog.jp/25908/2005-11-24T21:44:47+09:002006-02-16T21:21:43+09:002005-11-24T21:44:47+09:00montevi77Personal
Anyway, here are my 8 years worth of CDs (many of them bought this year when I went to Japan twice...)
Japan editions (BOLD=Favourites)
Singles x82
Ai Kawashima - Tenshitachi no Melody/Tabitachi no Asa
Aiko Kitahara - DA DA DA
Aiko Kitahara - Fuyu Urara
Aiko Kitahara - Grand Blue
Aiko Kitahara - special Days!!
Aiko Kitahara - Sun rise train/Kimi no Egaku sono Mirai
Aiko Kitahara - Te Quiero Te Amo
Aya Ueto - Kizuna
Azumi Uehara - Aoi Aoi Kono Hoshi ni
Azumi Uehara - Himitsu
Azumi Uehara - Lazy
Azumi Uehara - Mushoku
Bon Bon Blanco - Namida no Hurricane
Boystyle - Empty World
Boystyle - Kokoro no Chizu
Boystyle - Mirai
Boystyle - Promise You
dream - Believe In You
dream - Get Over
dream - Heart On Wave/Breakin' Out (x2)
dream - Identity ~Prologue~
dream - Love Genaration
dream - Movin' On
dream - Music Is My Thing
dream - My Will
dream - Night of Fire
dream - Our Time
dream - Private Wars
dream - Pure
dream - Reality
dream - Sincerely ~ever dream~
dream - Solve
dream - Soyokaze no Shirabe (normal ed)
dream - Soyokaze no Shirabe (special box ed)
dream - Stay ~Now I'm Here~
dream - Yourself
Eriko Imai - In The Name Of Love
Eriko Imai - Identity
Eriko Imai - Don't Stop The Music
Feel - I Believe In Love
Glay - Winter, Again
Harenchi Punch - Hakusen ~Start Line~
Harenchi Punch - Megaphone
Hayami Kishimoto - Aisuru Kimi ga Soba ni Ireba
Hayami Kishimoto - Suteki na Yume Miyou
Hitomi Shimatani - Falco
Makiyo - Sign of Wish
Matsu Takako - Yume no Shizuku
Matsu Takako - Yasashii Kaze
Miho Komatsu - Dance
Miyu Nagase - Just 4 your Luv
Miyu Nagase - Snowy Love
Nami Tamaki - Fortune
Nami Tamaki - Heroine
Nao Nagasawa - Love Body
rumania montevideo - Digital Music Power
rumania montevideo - Hard Rain
rumania montevideo - Koisuru Betty
Shiori Takei - Sakurairo
Shiori Takei - Sekai Tomete (w autograph!!)
Shiori Takei - Tsunagari
Speed - Alive
Speed - My Graduation
Speed - One More Dream
Speed - Wake Me Up!
tetsu69 - Shinkirou (w T-shirt)
The Kixs - Flower & Flower
Tokyo Pudding+Kana Tachibana - Kono Hito
Tommy February6 - Kiss One More Time
U-ka Saegusa IN db - Egao de Iyouyo
U-ka Saegusa IN db - I can't see, I can't feel
U-ka Saegusa IN db - It's for you
U-ka Saegusa IN db - June Bride ~Anata Shika Mienai~
U-ka Saegusa IN db - Nemuru Kimi no Yokogao ni Hohoemi wo
U-ka Saegusa IN db - Tobitatenai Watashi ni Anata ga Tsubasa wo Kureta
Whiteberry - Tachiiri Kinchi
Yoshino Kimura - Koisuru Nichiyoubi
Yoshino Kimura - Lullaby For Grandmother - M version -
Younha - Yubikiri (Korean version)
Yui Horie - Love Destiny
Zone - Egao Biyori (limited ed)
Albums x77
aiko - Natsufuku
aiko - Aki Soba ni Iruyo
Aiko Kitahara - Message
Aiko Kitahara - Sol De Verano
Aya Matsuura - First Kiss
Aya Ueto - Message (+DVD)
Aya Ueto - Re. (w mini poster)
Azumi Uehara - Mushoku
Bon Bon Blanco - Winter Greetings
Boystyle - '02 Summer ~ '03 Spring Collection
Changin' My Life - Caravan
dream - Boy Meets Girl
dream - dream world (Special limited ed box set)
dream - ID
dream - Natsuiro
dream - Process
dream - Meets Best Hits Avex
GIZA Studio Mai-K & Friends - Hotrod Beach Party
Glay - Heavy Gauge (limited edition - glow-in-dark cover+wrist bands)
Glay - Review
Glay - The Frustrated (limited ed with DVD)
Go!Go!7188 - Dasoku Hoku
Hayami Kishimoto - Juicy
Hitomi Shimatani - Papillon
Hitomi Shimatani - Gate ~scene III~
Hysteric Blue - bleu-bleu-bleu
Kyoko Fukada - Dear...
Kyoko Fukada - Moon
Mai Kuraki - Delicious Way
Matsu Takako - Ai no Tobira
Matsu Takako - Itsuka, Sakura no Ame ni...
Matsu Takako - A Piece Of Life
Matsu Takako - concert tour vol.1 "a piece of life"
mi - M-1
Mika Nakashima - Music
Mika Nakashima - True
Morning Musume - First Time
Nami Tamaki - Make Progress
Rie Tomosaka - Rie Tomosaka Best
Rina Aiuchi - A.I.R
Rina Aiuchi - Be Happy
Rina Aiuchi - Playgirl (limited ed)
rumania montevideo - jet plane
rumania montevideo - Sunny,cloudy,rain
rumania montevideo - rumaniamania
rumania montevideo - Girl,girl,boy,girl,boy
rumania montevideo - Mo' Better Tracks
Ryoko Kuninaka - Furusato
shiina - shiina
Shiori Takei - My Favorite Things
Shiori Takei - Second Tune ~Sekai Tomete~
Speed - Speed Memorial Live "One More Dream" + Remix!!
Swing Girls - Swing Girls Live!! (limited ed)
Tak Matsumoto - The Hit Parade
tetsu69 - Suite November
The Brilliant Green - Terra 2001 (First Press limited edition cover)
Tommy February6 - Tommy Airlines (limited ed long package)
Tsuyoshi Domoto - Rosso E Azzuro
U-ka Saegusa IN db - Secrets & Lies
U-ka Saegusa IN db - U-ka Saegusa IN db II
Utada Hikaru - Distance
Utada Hikaru - Deep River
Utada Hikaru - First Love
Yoshino Kimura - Girl
Yuko Yamaguchi - Believe
Yuko Yamaguchi - Ai ni Tsuite ~Best of Yuko Yamaguchi~ (special case)
Zard - Yureru Omoi
Zard - Forever You
Zard - Zard Best The Single Collection ~Kiseki~ (Showreel >> ver. 01)
Zard - Zard Best ~Request Memorial~
Zard - Cruising & Live (limited edition live CD+video)
Zard - Toki no Tsubasa
Zard - Tomatteita Tokei ga Ima Ugokidashita
Zard - Zard Blend II ~Leaf & Snow~
Zone - O (limited ed)
Zone - E ~Complete A side singles~ (limited ed)
Overseas editions
Singles x19
Aikawa Nanase - Sekai wa Kono Te no Naka ni / Heat of the night
Ayumi Hamasaki - Boys & Girls
Ayumi Hamasaki - A
Ayumi Hamasaki - M
Do As Infinity - Yesterday & Today
dream - Our Time
Earth - Your Song
Eriko Imai - Red Beat of My Life
Eriko Imai - Luv is Magic
Eriko Imai - Our Relation
Glay - Global Communication
hiro - As Time Goes By
hitomi - Maria
Max - Magic
Shiina Ringo - Ze-chou Shuu (3 bundled singles)
Takako Uehara - My First Love
Takako Uehara - Come Close To Me
Albums x52
Aikawa Nanase - ID
Aikawa Nanase - Foxtrot
Ai Otsuka - Love Jam
Aya Ueto - Aya Ueto
Ayumi Hamasaki - A Song for xx
Ayumi Hamasaki - ayu-mi-x
Ayumi Hamasaki - ayu-mi-x II version Japan
Ayumi Hamasaki - ayu-mi-x II version Acoustic Orchestra
Ayumi Hamasaki - ayu-mi-x II Non-Stop Mega Mix
Ayumi Hamasaki - Duty
Ayumi Hamasaki - ayu-mi-x 4 + selection - Acoustic Orchestra version
Ayumi Hamasaki - A Ballads
Do As Infinity - Break of Dawn
dream - Dear...
dream - Euro "dream"land
dream - Eternal Dream
Eriko Imai - My Place
Every Little Thing - Every Best Single+3
Favorite Blue - Best Eternal Trax
Glay - Drive (2cd+book+calendar card+diary)
Glay - One Love
hiro - Brilliant
Kiroro - Tree of Life
Hana Hana - Spice
Judy & Mary - Fresh
Le Couple - My Special Thanks
Luna Sea - Singles
Makiyo - Garden
Matsu Takako - Sora no Kagami
Max - Maximum Groove
move - move super tune - Best Selections -
move - Rewind --singles collection+ (2CD+DVD)
Noriko Sakai - Asia 2000 - Words of Love (special Asia-only cd)
Original Soundtrack - Shigatsu Monogatari (Matsu Takako on piano)
Puffy - Fever Fever
Rie Tomosaka - Daisuki!! Best (exclusive Taiwan compilation cd+vcd)
Rina Chinen - Passage ~Best Collection~
Shela - Colorless
Shiina Ringo - Muzai Moratorium
Shiina Ringo - Shouso Strip
Speed - Moment
Speed - Carry On My Way
Speed - Dear Friends 1
Speed - Dear Friends 2
The Brilliant Green - The Brilliant Green
The Brilliant Green - Los Angeles.
The Brilliant Green - The Winter Album
Tommy February 6 - Tommy February 6
Utada Hikaru - First Love
Various - Kiss ~dramatic love story~
Zard - Eien
Zard - Zard Best ~Request Memorial~
Bootlegs? x18
Bonnie Pink - Complete Singles Collection
Cubic U - Precious
Garnet Crow - Complete Singles
Glay - 1994-1999 Single Best
Kiroro - Kiroro Best (3cds compilation)
Miho Komatsu - Singles Collection
Speed - Speed First Speed best
Utada Hikaru - Majo no Joken OST
Utada Hikaru - Piano Melodies
Utada Hikaru - Utada Hikaru '99 Live CD+VCD
Various - Ha Ri Zu Idoru Zong Dong Yuan (2 cds-Male+Female singers)
Zard - Singles Collection 1991-1999 (3cds)
Official Videos (VCDs) (Overseas Editions) x8
Aikawa Nanase - Live Emotion Concert Tour '97
Aikawa Nanase - The Music Video Collection (Asia Limited Edition)
Ayumi Hamasaki - A Film for XX
Dream - Daydream
Judy And Mary - All Clips - JAM Complete Video Collection -
Speed - Tour Rise In Tokyo Dome
Speed - Speed Spirits 2
Speed - Speed Spirits Complete
Official DVDs x7
Aiko Kitahara - Visual Collection
dream - ID ~dream DVD Magazine~
dream - dream Party 2
U-ka Saegusa IN db - Film Collection Vol.2
As you may have guessed, I do NOT like overseas eds. Nothing like the original. Besides, the goodies are almost always in the Japan eds anyway. I've almost completely stopped buying overseas eds now, except perhaps for Avex artistes I'm not so particular about (Ai Otsuka, I'm thinking Shimatani too...) since they're readily available, and they do have all the goodies intact too. In fact, I am waiting for the Love Cook album by Ai Otsuka. Gonna be a good one I'm sure!]]>Intro + 1st dream ranthttp://dreamsbox.exblog.jp/25893/2005-11-24T21:41:44+09:002007-07-27T20:37:50+09:002005-11-24T21:41:44+09:00montevi77dream
Hmm... should I even need to write an intro to my own blog, since (doubtfully) anybody will read it?
Well, heck, I will anyway, if only to remind myself. This is a JPOP blog!! wahaha!! The best music on earth. Yeah -- JPOP. Best sung by idol groups or pretty girls, but I'm not so particular. ;) Well I admit I may be somewhat shallow, but basically first and foremost what I go for in jpop is the music. If the music sux, if she cannot sing to save her life (Mayuko *cough* Iwasa), no matter how pretty the girl is, I will find it impossible to follow or truly support the person/group. Whereas if the song is great but the looks mediocre... well i will still consider but maybe not support so much. Of course the best is a combination of both, although that is hard to find, but well the Jpop world always throws out a lot of promising candidates anyhow! I might even talk abit about my secondary interests if I'm in the mood (those who know will know what it is...).
My inspiration for this blog undoubtedly comes from the great santos26. He has my utmost respect as the "Attack All Around" idol-chaser supreme, at least amongst the English blogosphere anyway. His legendary blog is always interesting and humourous, the English may not be perfect but it is easily understandable, and I sometimes end up laughing when I see his ingenious attempts to merge the Jpop world into the real world, like the Dem. People's Republic Of N Kore... I mean of Harenchi Punch! LOL. You gotta see his blog to understand. And he's a god at making all the idol stats and charts too. Not to mention he absolutely stops at nothing for his idols Bon Bon Blanco and Paradise Go!! Go!!, which includes going for every single event and buying the same single 20 times. God, I want to follow him but I do need a proper job to have that kind of money! I wonder why I stopped going to his blog for so long --- it was obviously a mistake. Forgive me, I shall rejoin you as your follower, O great Santos. ^-^ Show me the light!
Anyway, I guess that maybe I should talk about about my jpop history here too... Here goes nothing:
My primary Jpop obsession lies with dream... well I have been crazy about them since they debuted in 2000, but well there was a period when my fever cooled down (about 2003) when Mai retired and all the newcomers arrived, but I slowly regained the fever as I slowly warmed up to all the newcomers, and learnt all their names.
Ami Nakashima, the cute one with the sunny yet goofy smile, is my fav of the bunch. She is really cute with her kawaii bangs, her actions and always seems genuinely cheerful.
Shizuka Nishida and Erie Abe, they are both the beauties of the second gen; although Shizuka could fix her teeth up a bit. she looks good and dances well. Unfortunately she is mostly in background all the time, one of the quieter members. For Erie, she had already appeared in some CMs and collaborations, and she always give me this impression of womanly charm and confidence (I like her hair too!). I truly hope she can continue to shine, i want to see more of her.
For Aya Takamoto, well I never really liked her. Too much of a "tomboy" for me... but she does look like the genki sort, which was proven true in the futsal leagues this year when she was supposed to be Team dream's star player. Yes... if there is anyone in dream who can do sports, it will have to be her. And for that, she gets my respect. If Aya can somehow inspire Team dream to actually win a few matches instead of having half their players injured, I might even put her in my top 3 for a few days lol. I mean, I don't expect them to seriously challenge Gatas, but well try and beat a few more of the lesser teams (Miss Magazine team, maybe? How about the new Oscarpro team?) and maybe keep the score down when you meet Gatas. You know you can do it, girls!
Now I come to the enigma of the group, Sayaka Yamamoto. She's another *short* girl that while I don't especially love, it is hard to hate her either. I mean, she looks so innocent, girly and puppy dog-ish ... yah she kinds of reminds me of a cute furry puppy. She hasn't released any singles, yet amazingly Avex saw it fit to give her TWO mini-albums. Not even the "da jie da" Yuu and Kana had that privilege (although Kana came closest with a single-- although it was more of a colloboration than a solo). I wonder what's the confidence Avex has in her? I mean, Sekishun isn't a bad album but the songs are kind of boring. Yes, she sings folksy, traditional-ish songs, a far departure from the Jpop dance beats that dream does. Senkou Hanabi was a better effort, I loved the title track. I do not doubt that she probably has the best voice out of all the newcomers (resulting in her sharing the main mike duties with Kana and Yuu in many of dream's lives), but I'm just wondering how well received her albums are, since I am not sure there are that many Sayaka otakus and her albums are geared towards almost a totally different group of listeners. But she will be releasing a new single this Dec 7, wow! Looks like a Christmassy type of song to me-- can't wait to hear it. She seems to be on a semi-solo career already...
Aaaahh... I have almost forgotten the "invisible" girl, Risa Ai. She joined for one...two albums and then she left, before my fever fandom even returned. Ok, she looks cute, but other than that I don't really see a major talent (I remember she was "waitress" in the dream world "cosplay display")... although apparently she has (relatively) successfully converted to the life of a solo tarento, juggling duties on several different TV shows and dramas as well as radio (ok this sounds mean but I just just saw on her website that for her vital stats her B is... 70!! -lowest I have ever seen- even Yuko Ogura can beat that...), even having a DVD. Looks like she isn't having too much trouble, even though she didn't exactly make an impact in dream unlike Mai, who fans (including me) still miss like mad (more on her later).
And let me just round off by raving about Yuu and Kana. The lynchpins of group, Kana is the undisputed leader, the goalie for Team dream, and all around motivator. She has the most powerful vocals and endurance (I have to agree with santos26 that she can probably sing 10 lives in a row if she has to-- Yokozuna!) in the whole group, and I took to her ever since she started out. Let's call it... charisma+talent. There's nothing she can't do-- sing, dance, entertain, and from what I see she makes fans happy too during meet-the-fan sessions, happily posing for pictures and chatting (of cos it is the same with Yuu). The consummate entertainer, I would say.
Yuu would be the popular girl, the girl with the looks, the star that shines brightest, visible even under the glare of the sun. In fact, nowadays everything seems to revolve around her, from pvs (she is the ONLY dream girl appearing in the Kono Natsu ga Owaru Maeni) to Girl's Box (center of attraction, main star in the pv), doramas (she appeared in quite a few recently) and of course her solo gravure career, with 2 photobooks and DVDs out so far... who does not know her? But I must say it's justifiable-- she can sing too, and I must say I'm attracted to her looks like everybody. So far, she's the only one I know who have gone from being a Jpop singer to doing gravure, but if there's anyone suitable to do gravure, it will be her, with her megawatt smile and shapely (although not exactly curvy) body. It's a very healthy, sunny sort of gravure though. And I have yet to see a photograph where she does NOT look absolutely stunning... she must have been born pretty or something, it's almost amazing when you think of it. 5 years and she has hardly changed that much, except grow up a bit, obviously, but not so much to have a major difference. And I have her autograph... wahahahah. *my precious...*
Well, enough ranting about dream for now. All I can say is I love them to death and really wish to see them do well in the chart, but the decline of the whole girl group idol industry in Japan is discouraging for their future prospects (they could only chart between 10 to 20 I think for their recent stuff). It's sad because they are so talented, and a good combination as a whole. Maybe it's kind of seditious or traitorous to say this, but I will rather have the whole Hello! Project went down in flames if that will save dream. Not that I don't love certain members (Reina, Koharu, Mako...) but they have sort of become a bit of a turn off in recent times. Of course,
I will bring the children (Berryz) off the island first if that happens... wahaha. Well, they are a guilty pleasure, because i really enjoy watching them. W will be the first sacrificed if I could help it.
It's probably obvious that I do love a lot of other artistes as well so I guess I will probably be ranting about THEM in days to come. Anyway, since this is MY blog, I shall start by reproducing some of my longer posts in Jpopmusic Forum, my hangout. Just for keepsake I guess, since I spent so long typing them...