I’m sorry to say, but I think ChanceChanceBoogie is writing its final chapters.

I think it’s relatively obvious that this blog is dead.  I haven’t been able to keep up with the news. I have no computer, and thus no means to post. It’s a tragic state of affairs.  I think of a new blog post just to have that bit of news pass me by for something even bigger.  Really, I can’t keep up.

I’m definitely not giving up blogging.  It’s too fun and it’s a good way to pass time. But for right now, I’m going to leave ChanceChanceBoogie.  I’m not leaving because I don’t like Hello! Project, or because of anything like that, but because I”m starting fresh.

Kimagure Romantic will become solely for artists such as Otsuka Ai, SNSD, 2NE1, Ikimono Gakari and any other non-idol artists I come to like.

And then I will start a new blog based around idols. That’s still a secret, so wait for it to come out   It will mostly be posts on H!P and AKB48.

Sorry for leaving this place dormant for so long Just be patient and I’ll be back on my feet in no time

At the first performance of Morning Musume 2009 Fall tour ~NINE SMILE~, sole 7th Generation Member of Morning Musume announced that at the final performance of the tour, she will be graduating from both Morning Musume and Hello! Project.

As a Morning Musume and Hello! Project fan, this is something I still haven’t really gotten used to. When I first got into Morning Musume’s new releases, Yossy had just graduated, so I didn’t have to get used to a brand new lineup, since everything was new. When Elder Club graduated, it didn’t really concern me either because the only elder club artist I regularly listened to was Aya Matsuura and let’s be honest, who cares about her new stuff (sorry maiZe ): )?

Then came Kanna, then Erika. Fortunately for me I don’t care about C-ute at all. I listen to their releases and when I have the opportunity I will get their newer music, but unlike the other H!P artists, I don’t go out of my way to watch their concerts or DVD magazines or PVs. The group just doesn’t interest me like Berryz or MoMusu.

And now Koharu’s graduating. This is the first graduation from an idol group that I think will really effect me.  When Matsuyuki and Gussan graduated from AKB48, I was still learning the ropes and didn’t know what I was talking about. It was the stage when they were the first to catch my eyes and now I know better.

Since I first got into H!P, Koharu was one member that stuck with me. She was never my favourite. In fact, for a good year she was my least favo–no, I hated  her. But one song compeltely changed my entire opinion of her.

That’s right, the Kirarin single that is usually considered the worst is what changed my absurd hatred for the girl to love–for her solo career at least. I steadily grew into listening to all of her solo music and then started to learn about her like any of my other favourite idols– for example, she’s the closest member of Morning Musume to my birthday, and the second closest in all of Hello! Project, second only to Sudou Maasa. That is an important thing to me, for some reason, and it’s part of the reason why I tolerate her below-average vocals during concerts and on singles.

Honestly, though, Morning Musume isn’t really losing much–just a personality. If you look at them as a serious group like they’re trying to be, she was the second weakest link. Her personality was still under-construction, thanks to Tsukishima Kirari stunting her development as an idol, and her vocals and dancing are sub-par.

It’s exciting that it’s my first real graduationg since I first started to get into Hello! Project, and I’m sure that there will be times that I’ll miss Koharu, but for right now I’m looking forward to December.  This definitely does not mean that I’m giving up on Morning Musume, and no, Koharu is not suddenly my favourite. This is what Morning Musume is–or was, at least–known for. They need a fresh face or four, and hopefully this will be it.

Yeah, My computer at home broke.  So I’m currently doing this late DD  Real late D:  My results won’t be counted, but I still want to express my opinions about H!P’s members D

I had no official Elder Club members in my favourites D:

1. JunJun:  Now, if you have ever talked to me about anything, you’d know that JunJun is my absolute favourite idol in all the world and all time.  I honestly have  no idea why she’s my favourite, she just is.  I love seeing her in concert, especially when she gets solo lines.  And I really like when she speaks in chinese, or says something nonsense in Japanese, like when she was on Music fighter and tried to talk about being late after she turned 20 <3  She’s just so cute <333333

2. Tokunaga Chinami:  Chii is my favourite in Berryz Koubou.  She’s silly and cute and funny, and even though she’s not the best singer, it’s obvious she always tries her best.  Recently she’s been more of a front girl in Berryz Koubou, and she’s become gorgeous since she started growing her hair again.  But she’ll always be the cute little happy coconut in H!P.

3. Fukuda Kanon: Kanyon is the winningest egg in the history of eggs.  Her audition was so cute, with her little twitch.  She’s just an adorable girl, and she’s got a strong voice and a great stage presence.  I’m so excited for the unit that she’s in for the fall

4. Kumai Yurina: Yurina’s gorgeous.  plus she’s the tallest idol xD  I like watching her sing and perform, and she’s so polite.

5. Okai Chisato: Chisa’s the only C-ute member to make the top 10 :O  She’s a good performer and she’s got such an amazing voice, it’s a wonder she doesn’t get more solo lines in singles. Fortunately she was at least a secondary vocalist in Bye Bye Bye!, so hopefully that’ll just pave the way for her to being a front girl in the future <3  She’s funny, too.

6. Kikkawa Yuu:  Kikka is the second of 3 eggs in my top 10 :O  I really like her voice and it’s cute that she got to work with her favourite idol in MilkyWay.  I hope that Milkyway becomes permanent or that she becomes a soloist, because she’s definitely one of the most powerful performers out of the eggs.

7. Noto Arisa: Nocchi is so silly.  I like that she’s the egg representative for dogadoga, cause she’s so weird and cute.  I hope to see more of her in the future too

8. Youko: Lightbulb is such a strange one.  She’s got this silly look on her face, and she kept her nerves very well at the elder club graduation concert.

9. Mitsui Aika: Mittsi was one of my first favourites in morning musume, I think.  She was the ‘new member’ and joined right around the time when I first got into H!P, so I became kind of attached to her.  I like her solos in Egao YES Nude and I love listening to her sing

10. Shimizu Saki: Captain is hot.  She has changed a lot from the tiny one back in the day to the hot captain who will forever be the rockin’ dancer of Berryz Koubou.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Tsugunaga Momoko: Momo, you’re cute, but you didn’t quite beat Captain this time

Michishige Sayumi: Do something epic again, and you’ll totally be back in the top

Umeda Erika: You’re gorgeous, but c-ute isn’t win.  sorry D:

Wow. I only opened this blog in July! And now I have over 4000 hits! :O I’m really excited now Thank you, everyone, for reading it

Welcome to Wota Wonderings! We are a group of english-speaking Japanese music bloggers brought together once a month to answer questions posed by johpan. We strive to be creative and entertaining, and we may even shed a bit of new light on interesting musical and cultural topics. Any questions about how we work should be directed to johpan. Don’t forget to check out the other posts from this month at the bottom of this post. Enjoy!

lol uncreative D:^

It seems like many animes and TV dramas have had some sort of tie in to music that we like. This month, this is what Wota Wonderings is all about.

The most notable one that I can think of right now is Buono!, and H!P Act featuring Suzuki Airi, Tsugunaga Momoko and Natsuyaki Miyabi.

When Buono! first started, I was wary of the group.  I didn’t know anything about Berryz Koubou and I knew next to nothing about C-ute.  Heck, back then I knew hardly anything about Morning Musume, let alone the rest of H!P.  But when Shugo Chara started, I grew to like the two songs used for the opening and ending, especially Kokoro no Tamago.

Because of Buono!, I got into Shugo Chara and the entire first season, anxiously anticipating hearing the new endings and openings as they came out.  Now, Buono! doesn’t do the openings for Shugo Chara, but they still do the endings.  Unfortunately, their music has also been getting worse, in my opinion.  co no mi chi, their newest single, is my absolute least favourite Buono! song.  To the point where I refuse to listen to it.  I haven’t watched the second season of Shugo Chara! because I haven’t gotten around to it yet, but not because of Buono!’s lack of participation.  I still really like Buono!’s music and Shugo Chara Egg!’s two singles.  I’m just hoping that co no mi chi was the lowest point they get in their career.

Another group that got me into a TV series was no3b from AKB48, featuring Team A members Takahashi Minami, Kojima Haruna and Minegishi Minami.

no3b’s first single, Relax! was the opening song for the drama which starred the three girls, Mendol.  Because of a mixture of the plot, wanting to get into AKB48 itself and the previews for the opening song, I decided to watch Mendol, and am currently watching it still (I never finished it in the first place).

Their songs are catchy and I think both the a-side and b-side from Relax! are in my 25 most played on iTunes. Also, the group succeeded in getting me into AKB48, and I’m currently absorbing AKB knowledge like it’s nobody’s business.

The group never became uninvolved with the drama, fortunately, as they were the leads and it was only 12 episodes long, so every episode I got to watch, I heard Relax! at the beginning and Oogoe Diamond at the end, two of my favourite AKB recorded songs.

Now, no3b is releasing a 2nd single, called Tane, for an anime called ‘Tetsuwan Birdy DECODE: 02″ which looks pretty interesting and I’m actually thinking of watching it as I’m writing this down.

Here’s no3b’s 2nd single, Tane:

Berryz 1, 2 and 3, check!  Time for 4, 5, 6 and 7.

Sudou Maasa

Poor Maa.  It’s kind of hard what to say about her because she hasn’t gotten attention in a single since Anata Nashi de wa Ikite Yukenai.  Recently she’s had a little luck as the lead of Berryz Kamen (BERRYZ KAMEN RED!), but she’s been given the shaft since then.  Her voice is nice to listen to.  It’s deep, which is what seems to give Berryz their character.  Captain, Yurina and Maasa have deep voices compared to the likes of, say, Nakki and Mai from C-ute.

I especially liked listening to Maa’s lines in yuke yuke (migi mukanai!), but honestly it seems like Berryz songs have been so concerned with giving everyone a line that they don’t seem to showcase anything.  Don’t get me wrong, I like Dakishimete Dakishimete and MADAYADE, but for some reason they just seem so. . . nonexistant.  It’s like the management just told Tsunku ‘write a songs so everyone can get a line’ and he did.  And we got those two.  But this post isn’t about that, it’s about maasa.  I’d love for any of these members in this post to be a soloist, but it doesn’t seem very likely if they don’t get some pimping now.

SOLOIST?: I’d love to hear maasa sing solo, or maybe do a Berryz Kamen unit, but. . . it’s very unlikely.

Natsuyaki Miyabi

Miyabi is the best singer in Berryz Koubou.  That’s uncontested.  Her voice is the most pleasant and she has the most control, in my opinion.  I’d love to see her go solo.  I don’t know a lot about Miyabi, though.  I know she’s popular and she’s good friends with Chinami and Captain, but that’s about it.  It seems like on TV shows she kinda sits back and lets the rest of the people speak for her.  Maybe i’m just not thinking correctly, but she just seems to agree with everything everyone says.

Even with her non-scandal last year, she barely fell from grace.   Sure, she was given the least lines on MADAYADE, which happened to be the worst selling Berryz single of 2008.  Seems to be a connection, I guess.  Especially since she was given lead back in Dakishimete Dakishimete.  But she still seems on the outside. . . slightly.  She was wearing blue, while Risako and Momoko were both wearing red.  I dunno, maybe I’m just looking too far into things.  Either way, I’m sure that if MADAYADE’s lack of Miyabi was in any close association to sales, Miya would make a great soloist, and I’m sure that if she was given a solo career she’d be able to showcase herself differently than from when she’s in Berryz or Buono!.

SOLOIST?: She’s an interesting case, but I think she’d do great.

Kumai Yurina

Yurina’s already got a gimmick for if she were to become a soloist: “WORLD’S TALLEST IDOL.”  Honestly speaking, though. . . Yurina’s a tough case.  She’s got a deep voice, like Captain and Maasa, but unlike Maasa and Captain, she was originally a lead.  She’s absolutely gorgeous and she’s not a bad singer.  Her personality is very polite, though.  That may seem like a good thing, but for idols. . . it seems like being polite is boring.  Generally the most popular idols seem to be vain (like sayumi or rika), mischievous (tsuji and kago) or tomboyish (yossy and makoto), but the polite ones like. . . say, eri. . . They never really took off.  It took them a while for them to get any sort of following, and as a result they don’t get much appreciation from their management, which is probably why she lost her lead position after about 2006.

Fortunately, she’s blossomed into a beauty recently and that’s helped get her lead position back.  Obviously, the idol world is vain.  I like Yurina, so I’d love her to be solo, but she’s kinda. . . just there, honestly.

SOLOIST?: I don’t think anyone really knows what would happen if she became a soloist.  I’m not sure if she still has as big a following as she had circa 2005, but a duo with chinami would be cute!

Sugaya Risako

Socko, Socko, Socko. . . you’re the lead singer in Berryz and always have been, but you can’t sing or dance.  Whatever are we to do with you?  Her personality is really what gets her her fame.  She fits into the vain category of idols, not necessarily saying she’s cuter than everyone, but she just seems very snooty.  She’s got a decent voice to listen to the voice but stay away from her singing, especially live.  Everyone’s said this, but she seriously just screams.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate risako.  She’s not my favourite, but i’m not anti-risako or anything.  I’m just honest.  And what I say here isn’t going to effect the fact that she’ll probably become a soloist anyway, especially with all the pimping she’s had since she joined Berryz.  Her solo song on 5(FIVE) was great, especially the chorus, and the live performance wasn’t bad, either.  So hopefully she’ll get a few better voice lessons before they start her on her blatant pimping for a solo career.

SOLOIST?: of course.  Not that i’d enjoy it 100%, but we already know it’s coming, so why bother protesting?

So there you have it.  Berryz Koubou.  Up next, the oldest three in C-ute.

Morning Musume’s been covered, but what of our lovely Kids?  Both groups show individual promise, but not every member would be strong enough to handle a career on their own.

Shimizu Saki

Recently, Captain’s really been stepping up.  Her voice has improved so much from Berryz 4th album to their 5th, and she’s been given a bigger role within H!P since it’s been announced that Elder Club’s been graduating.  Unfortunately for Captain, she’s been given the shaft since the beginning of Berryz because of Miyabi, Momoko, Risako and (especially in the beginning) Yurina.  Personally, Captain’s my third favourite in Berryz Koubou.  She’s gotten much better looking (read: hot) recently, too.

Let’s not forget her dancing, either.  She’s got the same blessing and curse as Eri:  She’s a great dancer, so she’s given that as her charm and gimmick.  I’m sre anyone who knows anything about H!P knows about Captain’s solo dance rendition of Anata Nashi de wa Ikite Yukenai a few years ago.  Basically, Captain would be a great soloist if she had a greater role in Berryz, but she doesn’t so her solo career would probably flop unless she got the kind of fanclub events that Manoeri’s gotten or some sort of tie-in like Koharu.

SOLOIST?: She has the potential, but not the popularity.

Tsugunaga Momoko

Momoko’s definitely one of the most popular members in Berryz Koubou, even H!P.  She’s consistently been the lead singer in Berryz songs and has been in several units outside of Berryz, specifically Buono!  Since she’s joined Buono!, she’s really stepped it up to handle the more varied vocal range of the Buono! songs, so she’s become a good little singer as well, even with her sometimes too sweet voice.

Let’s not forget to mention her dancing skills, second in Berryz only to Captain.  She’s frequently center dancer in the more difficult Berryz dances, most specifically Munasawagi Scarlet.  She’s always been a fan favourite to the wota, and usually new fans pick her as their first favourite until they learn more about the members.  Momo’s solo appeal, however. . . I’m not quite sure what to say about her in that regard.  She’s a good singer, but even I get a little sick of her voice if I hear songs like Gag 100kaibun Aishite Kudasai on repeat.  In Buono!, even with her recent position in the center and as ’self proclaimed leader,’ Miyabi and Airi’s voices cancel out her sugar-sweet singing.  So maybe She would be a great soloist, but her success probably wouldn’t leave the wota community.

SOLOIST?: She’s got the talent, but her success would probably be limited because of her voice.

Tokunaga Chinami

Chinami has recently become more popular in Berryz, even if Berryz as a group has lost a little popularity.  She had lead vocals in MADAYADE and she was a main vocalist in Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance.  Unfortunately, as is the case of many of the H!P kids, it was too little, too late.  Her recent boom in popularity has kept her hidden from the general public, and unless she gets lots of pimping like manoeri has been getting or like members of Morning Musume or the main H!P Kids have been getting, she wouldn’t make it outside the wota public as a soloist.   Her voice is a little too much to handle in high amounts, so that is also a hindrance to her popularity as a vocalist..

Her personality, on the other hand, is perfect for solo stuff.  She makes lots of jokes and puns and her facial expressions are priceless, as well as some quick events that have happened in Making-Of sections of DVDs and things.  She would probably have a lot of fun with the hosts of Utaban or Music Fighter if she were on there on her own.

SOLOIST?: She’s recently gotten much more popular, but her voice wouldn’t cut it.

So there you have it: The first half of Berryz.  Next up is the second half.  I swear I will finish this series.

Morning Musume’s ever changing lineup has produced many soloists, so let’s finish up the current lineup to see what the newbies can bring us.

Koharu’s been skipped, as she’s already a soloist, even if it’s for an anime.

Mitsui Aika

Mittsi’s relationship with the fans is love-hate right now, as far as i’m aware.  About half the wota population thinks she looks and acts like an old lady, and the other half thinks she’s adorable and would love to see her grow and hear her sing more.  I am part of the latter half of the wota, but to be honest I think pushing her as a soloist would be a risk right now.  It’s somewhat obvious that Tsunku and the bigwigs at UFA are pruning her into a soloist, what with a solo performance in her first fall concert and a solo performance in the recent fall concert as well.  I’m sure she will eventually grace H!P’s list of soloists, but for right now it’d be too much of a risk.

SOLOIST?: It’d be a risk, but it’s obvious that H!P and UFA are primping her to be one.

JunJun

JunJun, JunJun, JunJun. . . You’re too darn cute, y’know that?  Hello! Project’s recent expansion into mainland Asia and Taiwan has brought about the two most curious cases for H!P soloist material, especially after the debut of H!P’s Taiwan based Ice CreaMusume.   If JunJun, generally considered the more popular of the two pandas, were to debut as a soloist, would it be under Hello! Project’s new “Hello! Pro Taiwan”? or would she stick to what she’s already got and stay with Hello! Project’s main group.  She’s considered the worst singer of the two pandas, but she is a decent singer.  Her voice has a nice tone to it and because Japanese is her second language, when she sings in japanese it sounds Chinese, which is, to me, one of her charm points.  It’s really hard for me to foresee where she’ll be in H!P in 2 or 3 years, even though she’s been in H!P for 2 years already (wow, i can’t believe it’s been that fast!)  I guess that since Morning Musume was so slow in 2008, no one was really given a chance to see what kind of stuff JunJun can do, but if her minor corners on Haromoni@ and her cute impression of Ayaya in the 2008 summer concert were any implication of what kind of idol goodness she’s got stored away in her reserves somewhere, I think she’d be a good soloist.

SOLOIST?: I’m not 100% sure.  She has the personality, but she’s definitely not ready, and her voice isn’t quite there yet. . .

LinLin

LinLin’s got some of the same complications as JunJun:  She’s one of the two pandas, so if she were to become a soloist, where would she go–Hello! Pro Taiwan or regular Hello! Project?  Her voice is superior to her 8th generation peers and she’s been in the entertainment business since she was 8, but as an idol, her personality is still under construction.  She had a number of hilarious faces in the recent Alo Hello! DVD, but even then it seemed like she was just putting on a show–even if we know that all idols do that.

Ever since she debuted on Haromoni@ back in July 2007, she’s been kind of out there.  She doesn’t seem comfortable acting goofy or dancing around like a maniac, but she does it anyway.  I’m not sure if she’s told to or if it’s just what she thinks is right, but it’d be nice to see the real LinLin sometime.   Even Sayumi, who’s always seemed like such a bubbly character, admitted on Music Fighter in April 2008 that she was a reserved kid and her only friends in elementary school were pillbugs.  It’s silly stories like that that you completely believe that make an idol, not the making silly faces and acting cute.  Getting to know an idol is like getting to know a classmate, almost, but this time they don’t know who the hell you are, but you know absolutely every detail about them and chances are you’ll never get within 20 feet of them.  All I’m saying is that LinLin’s got the voice, but right now I can’t believe her personality so I think she needs more time before she does anything outside of Morning Musume.

SOLOIST?: not right now; her personality still needs work, even if she is a great singer.

There you have it:  Morning Musume.  A lot of these are just my opinions, so you have your right to give your two cents in the comments   Next time I’ll be writing about Berryz Koubou’s three oldest members, so wait for it!

One question that has been going through every wota’s head since Hello! Project announced that the Elder Club is going to graduate is: who the hell will fill in where nacchi, ayaya, mikitty and all the other soloist big shots were just a few years ago?  Our best bets are within Hello! Project right now; it’s too dangerous to start an unknown audition winner as a soloist as was planned for v-u-den’s Miyoshi Erika, so H!P’s best bet is to dip into the current stock of vocalists from the remaining groups and let them try their hand at soloist work.

Let’s start with the most established group: Morning Musume.  Morning Musume’s got a track record of setting off both successful and unsuccessful solo careers: Nacchi, Yuuchan, and Gocchin come to mind.  Now that MoMusu’s members have established themselves in the idol world, it’s time for some of them to move on, especially after rumours of Eri’s graduation after both last year’s spring concert and when it was originally announced that Morning Musume’s last concert of the spring season would take place at Yokohama Arena (a rumour that proved to be untrue). So let’s start witht he leader, shall we?

Takahashi Ai

I must say that since Aichan has become leader, she’s really stepped up.   She’s tried desperately hard to give herself more of a personality, her performances keep getting better and you can tell she works hard, and that all the member try their hardest to support her as well.  While she seems like an obvious choice for a solo artist, i don’t think that right now would be a good idea unless she was a less active soloist.  If she got maybe one single every two quarters and only performed them at Morning Musume concerts it’d be fine, but become a full time soloist would be a little too much for Aichan without her graduating, and to be honest, Morning Musume doesn’t need that right now.  I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before she does become a full fledged soloist, but for right now she should get a little bit of a break.

SOLOIST?: give her some time, then we’ll talk.

Niigaki Risa

Gaki obviously makes a good second hand support for Aichan- it’s relatively common knowledge that they’re best friends within Morning Musume.  Whether or not that would translate over to her abilities to have a solo project outside of Morning Musume is debateable, however.  She did manage pretty well with Robby & Kerobby and Athena & Robikerottsu, but the real question is whether she’d be able to handle releasing solo music.  We know she’s got the personality to handle it, too; she’s always excited and makes you believe that no matter what ridiculous fluffball she’s got on her head, or what kind of bustle she’s got on her ass or how childish she looks,   she looks and sounds like she’s truly enjoying herself.  She was, after all, a Morning Musume fan when she was young and is living her dream right now.  Her solo career could take off if handled correctly, but it’s got to be a song that fits the Gaki we know and love.

SOLOIST?: If debuted correctly, Gaki could definitely pull it off.

Kamei Eri

Eri’s a tough one to really make a soloist decision about–she’s best known as a performer for her dancing abilities.  That’s not to say she’s not a good singer, but when you’re known for your dancing, you’re going to end up with difficult dances, right?  And when you’re on your own, doing difficult dances and singing is a little bit of a push.  Her personality, on the other hand, is perfect for a solo career.  She’s got a very silly personality, and could handle on her own for promoting a single or something on TV.  A lot of Eri’s personality is really based on how dumb she acts on air–her silly anecdotes (because who can forget the knee thing from utaban in 2004?) and tendency to overreact a bit.  She’s silly, which gives her a good personality to go solo with.

SOLOIST?: If she can balance her singing and dancing, she could definitely pull it off.

Michishige Sayumi

Sayu has always been known as the worst singer in Morning Musume.  A lot of people fear to hear her voice in any shape or form outside of backup vocals and cute ’sayu’ lines like her infamous ‘na no ni, doko ittan da yo!’ and ‘Shabondama!’ from her debut single back when she was 13.  But to be honest, she’s got a lot of fans and she’s got the cute personality to pull off a solo act. Not to mention she’s one of the best dancers Morning Musume’s ever had (she’s probably in the top 5, at least).  She really has improved since she started, and as I go around the videos on youtube, I don’t see as many ‘omg sayu’s so bad at singing she should just go away’s any more.  Most people seem to be looking forward to hearing how she’ll improve for the next single or what cute thing she’ll do next.

Today I was fishing around H!O, and in the recent discussion for the 2009 Wonderful Hearts concert, there was a conversation started about Sayumi.  I’m not quite sure how it started, but it eventually turned to a ‘Solo Sayu’ debate, which partially inspired this blog post.  One person, username Nizmo gave a few reasons as to why sayu would make a good soloist.  I’ll quote them directly, so I don’t misinterpret their quotes or mess anything up, so here’s what it said:

“1. Sayu has one of the biggest hardcore wota fans among MM.
2. Sayu has the right mindset in appealing her idol-ness, by that I mean she fits the “S” role with her snappy “tsukkomi” personality. And yes, she has to have the “S” personality to be worshipped enough to have a wotagei dedicated to her.
3. Sayu has all the required assets, all she needs now is a solo single to firmly establish her stature as a goddess.
4. Sayu also has something extra that Mikitty does not have, a sense of humor and her ability as a “geinin”.
5. Going back to 1, yes she has one of the most hardcore fans, and yet she has not fully unleashed her potential, just think about THAT.”

look at number 3; ‘. . . all she needs now is a solo single to establish her stature as a goddess.’  If sayu went solo, she’d be an idol goddess.  How amazing is that?  They describe some terms about her personality (such as a tsukkomi-type, meaning that she often butts into conversations and is very straightforward, although I guess you could say that Sayu’s Tsukkomi isn’t a planned thing) and honestly, her personality is very good for a solo career.  When Morning Musume promoted Resonant Blue on Music Fighter in 2008, Sayu took a minute long chunk of the show to ask tsunku for more japanese lines in their next single.  She’s very self-absorbed, but not in a bitchy way.  It’s cute and I like that in sayu (which is probably why she’s my third favourite in Morning Musume).

SOLOIST?: (everyone but the sayu wota are going to hate me for this, but. . .) YES PLEASE NOW.  SHE COULD BECOME AN IDOL GODDESS.

Tanaka Reina

Reina’s a difficult idol to judge.  She’s very attention grabbing and likes to be known and heard and seen and everything.  When she’s not on camera she jumps in it’s face, especially in backstage videos.  Vocally, she’s either amazing or crap, depending on your opinion of her.  Personally, I like Reina’s singing voice, so as a soloist I think she’d do decent.   She’s currently the ‘face’ of Morning Musume– She’s been in the center of the front row for the last two releases, and in their last single, she was the only member with solo singing lines (sayu’s ’sayu line’ doesn’t count)

She’s extremely popular among wota, and her name is at least familiar to the general public, as with the rest of the members in this post, as she debuted when Morning Musume was still a popular group, so, though she wouldn’t be guaranteed a spot on the top 10, she wouldn’t completely fail like SHIPS has.  Vocally, it’s kind of hard to know what kind of music she’d be able to sing solo.  Her voice has a good range, but never seems to fill in ballads well.  She seems to be well suited to R&B and hip-hop songs like C\C and Memory ~Seishun no Hikari~, so I think that her style would get a little boring after a while.  She’s on the fence, but she would make a good soloist and she would always have the safety blanket of MoMusu until she graduates.

SOLOIST?: Possibly, but test the soloist waters while still in MoMusu.

So there you have it– Morning Musume’s 5th and 6th generation members.  This is a series that I’m going to continue– I won’t stop till i’ve covered everyone (I think)  The Next post is going to cover the 8th generation: Mittsi and the Pandas (Koharu’s already a soloist, so she doesn’t need analyzed xP )

]]> http://chancechanceboogie.wordpress.com/2009/01/10/whats-in-a-soloist-pt-15th-6th-momusu/feed/ 4 Max Aichan Gaki eririn Sayu 07 http://chancechanceboogie.wordpress.com/2008/12/30/best-of-08/ http://chancechanceboogie.wordpress.com/2008/12/30/best-of-08/#comments Wed, 31 Dec 2008 03:04:23 +0000 Max http://chancechanceboogie.wordpress.com/?p=79 ]]>

This is Amy of  Merry Go Round’s ‘Best of 2008′ poll.  From what I gather, we’re supposed to give our opinions for the topic.  Here’s what I thought of 08:

Bests

Best Group Single

This one’s tough.  I’m pretty sure the honors go to Buono!’s Rottara Rottara, though.  Their releases never cease to impress me and Rottara Rottara’s b-side, My Love, is my favourite Buono! track, so far.  The song’s catchy and I love listening to it.

Best Soloist Single 2008 was a slow year for everyone in H!P, and because of that, soloists didn’t really release anything.  I’m going to give this one to Lucky Aura from Mano Erina.  The song itself was worlds better than her debut indies single, Manopiano, and she seemed more comfortable performing this one.

Best Group Album This one is no contest, Morning Musume’s COVER YOU gets this one.  Even though it wasn’t original, I liked every single song on it, and have listened to the entire album over and over again. It’s nice to hear older material get a makeover, too, and who better to give it to them than Morning Musume.

Best Soloist Album Kirari to Fuyu came out a few weeks ago, and I really like the whole album.  It’s a little crack, like all of Koharu’s music, but you can tell she’s trying to give Kirari a less squealy voice and has more vocal control compared to her first two albums.

Best PV This one goes to Berryz Koubou’s MADAYADE.  It’s nice to see H!P use extras in their PVs again, and this is the closest to a storyline a Hello! Project PV has had for a while.  Plus making two sets and everything is pretty cool too.

Group With Best Overall Releases unbiased, this award goes to C-ute.  Their music has the most variation of the three flagships right now, and, though for me it takes some warming up to, the music is good.  They started the year with a cracky song and ended it with an intense one, with some random songs in between.  That’s why the get this one.

Best New Group This one is really tough, as there weren’t really very many new groups this year, but for me, High-King gets this one.  I don’t know how many times i’ve listened to Kioku no Meiro or C\C, but I know that I really like both of those songs.

Best New Soloist I don’t like Suppin Rock, but Ogawa Mana is definitely the superior vocalist.  When I first heard Hitomi ga KiraKirara from Canary Club, I heard Ogamana’s voice and immediately was amazed.  When I looked her up, I was completely flabbergasted that she’s only 15.  I hope to see more from her, and maybe she’ll be NGP’s version of Matsuura Aya!

Best Established Group Berryz Koubou is one of my favourite groups, so they get this award.  I usually don’t like H!P Kids group concerts, but I loved their ~Berikore~ concert, and even though they got sillier releases this year, I loved all of them.

Best Established Soloist Merp.  Soloists had a horrible year, so this goes to no one.

Best Photobook I don’t look at photobooks, but I fell like Re:(Return) gets this one.  I loved Reina’s bunny outfit.

Hottest Idol of 2008 hottest idol?! That’s a really tough one D:  I’m going to go by who seems to be getting the most attention, and that’s Takahashi Ai.  She’s got a drama starting in a few weeks and she was the lead in a musical.  Not only that, but she was in another musical at the beginning of the year (With Niigaki Risa, Kamei Eri and Tanaka Reina) and she did a great job of leading Morning Musume.  I think this year was her year, and next year can only get better.

Worsts

Worst Group Single This goes to Come Together.  I’ve already claimed that OG gets the songs that Tsunku writes when he’s drunk, and this one proves my point.  The song is basically the Satoda Mai show and even fan favourites Ishikawa Rika and Yoshizawa Hitomi get overlooked for H!P’s newest celebrity.  And the poor eggs get nothing at all.

Worst Soloist Single I have no idea what to put here.  Okitegami bored me the most, so that gets the spot.

Worst PV Even though I love monkeys to death and the song is amazing, Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance gets this spot.  The PV was cheap and the outfits were probably found in a thrift store.  Sorry ;-;

Worst Vocalist of 2008 Um. . . From what i’ve heard from Ongaku Gatas, Ishikawa Rika still sounds like a shrieking baby.  She gets this one.

Least Attractive Girl of 2008 Korenaga Miki.  She looks like a boy with hips/Tsunku.  No girl should look like Tsunku.