Monday, March 31, 2008

One of my new favorite songs! ♬

After the hype of Big Bang's 'Last Farewell', in my own world, at least, I have discovered this Goto Maki song. I know she's in California now and has quit H!P; this was the first track on her last album as an H!P soloist, AND I JUST FOUND IT. There's no PV or anything, but the song still rocks.

Plus, its title is really cool, in my opinion. I wish I could find an English translation somewhere, though.




And. And! My brother likes this song. He claims to hate all things JPop (except for some select stuff), so I take this as a justification for my new-found adoration. :D

Friday, March 28, 2008

Been quite busy lately.

It's my spring break, but there's still so much to do! ♫

Anyway, I stole these buttons from Hello!Online because I really wanted to put them here (lots of credit to krazyassgamer from Hello!Online).

Mano Erina, or Manoeri as she's known to fans, was simply a Hello!Project Egg, which is kinda like the equivalent of Johnny's Juniors, except Eggs are more shoved in the back. She got a chance to shine and actually be involved in something when she was one of the Eggs chosen to be in Ongaku Gatas, the H!P futsal unit; there were big-name acts in this unit, like Yoshizawa Hitomi, Ishikawa Rika, and Konno Asami, all who had been members of Momusu before. Two singles have so far been released by this group, 'Narihajimeta Koi no BELL' and 'Yattarouze!' (I personally love both of these songs; 'Narihajimeta Koi no BELL' made me want a cape, and I've been singing 'Yattarouze!' around the house all morning.)

Manoeri was featured as one of the prominent Eggs in these PVs (in 'Narihajimeta Koi no BELL', she first sings around 1:22, and in 'Yattarouze!', she first sings around :44), and this is where I first noticed her. I kinda liked her, but didn't really care at the time.

Then, it was suddenly announced that Manoeri was going to become a soloist; she's only sixteen! I was very surprised by this, but I took more interest in Manoeri.

And, now. I have those buttons.



A lot of people are hating on her, saying that she's too young, yada yada yada, but seriously. Koharu's a frickin' soloist, and she's younger than Manoeri. Matsuura Aya started her solo career when she was only fourteen, and Goto Maki started her career sometime around Manoeri's age.

I, (obviously) for one, support Manoeri. She may not be the best singer or dancer, but I think she has the most potential, and that's why she was graduated from Ongaku Gatas so early to become a soloist. With training, she'll eventually be the best singer, dancer, and overall performer.

Plus, we're around the same age; she'll be seventeen in April, and I'll be eighteen in June. It's kinda cool to see someone your own age get such a big chance. ★

So, here's to the next Goto Maki! I think Manoeri is following in Gocchin's footsteps (she even looks like her, in a way!), but there is something very unique about this up-and-coming star.

I can't wait to see what she does in the future. :D



Edit: On a slightly random note, I pre-ordered Momusu's 'Resonant Blue' Limited Edition B from YesAsia a few days ago!

Sunday, March 23, 2008

I SAW THE CIRCUS TODAY.






I even captured vids. of the tigers and the human cannonballs. ♪



It was awesome. ♡





Anyway, I found this excellent Super Junior pimp-post on LiveJournal. I shall link to it because it's just that stellar; credit to both partaken and meitachi at LiveJournal. :3





AND GUESS WHAT? SUJU'S HANGENG/HANKYUNG IS GOING TO CARRY THE TORCH IN THE BEIJING '08 OLYMPICS.


Everyone that always said pretty boys never amount to anything can suck on that.

Edit: Random, but I found a Momusu member personality quiz.

I got this: Which Morning Musume Member Are You?
You scored as a Kamei Eri
You are most like Kamei Eri! She joined Momusu in the 6th generation, along with Michishige Sayumi and Tanaka Reina. She was very shy at first, but has since blossomed into a funny, sweet individual.
Yoshizawa Hitomi
88%
Kamei Eri
88%
Mitsui Aika
81%
Niigaki Risa
75%
Fujimoto Miki
50%
Tanaka Reina
50%
Kusumi Koharu
50%
Michishige Sayumi.
38%
Takahashi Ai
38%


I tied, I guess, for Yossie and Eri, but at the quiz's end, it asked which of the two statements presented was more true. One had to have been Yossie's and the other Eri's, which is why they have the same percentage, but I'm the most like Eri because I said the Eri statement was more true for me.

I think.

Saturday, March 22, 2008

I think my mind just exploded.

There is a game, it's called 'Second Life', and I happened to be looking at a guide in the book-store the other day for it because it reminded me of 'The Sims'.

Today, I discover that Berryz Koubou's 'Dschingis Khan' PV makes a cameo in some version or other of this game.


WHUT.

THE. THE CHARACTERS. THEY DANCE LIKE THE BERRYZ.







Also, this is the game where furries originated.

I don't really know what to make of this.

More JPop ranting lies ahead.

I know that I shouldn't get emotional over things like this, but I do. :3 It's probably because, for God only knows what reason, I like Hello!Project so much (seeing as they're my favorite Japanese girl-group factory, with AKB48 rising as a close second).

So, time for some pointless ranting.

As fans know and normal people don't, Dohhh!Up recently released the newest version, the 2008 version, of the Hello!Project All Stars song 'All for One & One for All' performed in concert. It made me very nostalgic (even though I don't really have a right to be; I wasn't a fan in 2004, when the original version was produced) because of just how many holes there are now.

The original 2004 version with subs:



This song introduces members in chronological order, based on when they joined Hello!Project. I'm stealing a guide from the YouTube comments that shows the entrance of the various groups and Momusu generations in order (note: Momusu was only up to sixth gen. by this point; that means no Koharu, Aika, JunJun, or LinLin).

Said guide, thanks to Celedam at YouTube:

00:14 — MM First Gen
00:25 — MM Second Gen
00:32 — Ayaka (Coconuts), Maki Goto (MM Third), Atsuko Inaba
00:37 — Melon Kinenbi, Asami Kimura (Country)
00:51 — MM Fourth Gen / W
00:59 — Yuki Maeda, Aya Matsuura
01:03 — MM Fifth Gen
01:10 — Miki Fujimoto (MM Sixth), Mai Satoda (Country)
01:31 — C-ute (H!P Kids)
01:38 — Berryz Koubou (H!P Kids)
01:45 — MM Sixth Gen
01:49 — Miuna (Country), v-u-den

Even in the original, there are some holes due to graduations, etc.. In first gen., there's no Fukuda Asuka or Ishiguro Aya, and in second gen., there's no Ichii Sayaka.

Now, the recent 2008 version (no subs):



There are obviously several differences here. I shall list them because it's oh-so necessary.

~Iida Kaori is now missing from the first gen.; only Nakazawa Yuko and Abe Natsumi are left.~

~THERE IS NO GOTO MAKI. Which means, consequently, THIRD GEN. IS NON-EXISTENT. In my opinion, Gocchin was one of the strongest presences, if not the strongest, in this entire spectacle. Something is definitely lost as a result. Notice how the camera doesn't focus on the soloists as a unit here, only separately; it's because it would look awkward without Gocchin leading the other two up to the front.

No, I'm not bitter, wut.~

~Fourth gen. is only half-complete. Honestly, this one breaks my heart. Yoshizawa Hitomi and Ishikawa Rika come out, alone. THERE IS NO TSUJIKAGO. These two still manage to keep up the awesomeness that was/is fourth gen. here, but, once again, something's definitely missing.

I would've died if these two had left a wide gap between them and put their arms around air or something; not that that would've happened. Just sayin.~

~Fifth gen. is also only half-complete. Ai and Risa come out alone, when, WHAT, YOU ASK. KONNO IS IN THIS PERF. AS WELL, SHE'S OFF TO AI'S LEFT AT THIS POINT. I, AS A FAN, AM EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED THAT KONNO DID NOT COME OUT WITH AI AND RISA. She sings the fifth gen. lines with them, but it's not the same if they don't frolick out together.~

~No Fujimoto Miki. Satoda Mai sings alone.~

~Berryz Koubou, in green, is one less; no Ishimura Maiha.~

~C-ute, in pink, still has seven members. However, Murakami Megumi has graduated and Arihara Kanna has joined.~

~I know it's not part of the original version, but Koharu should've had a solo seventh gen. line. Similarly, Aika, JunJun, and LinLin should've had an eighth gen. line. They all prance out behind sixth gen. and the two-thirds of Biyuuden during their solo lines, so I know they're there.~

~Of course, the true solo lines are different. Yossie gets Aibon's solo (I approve of this), Reina gets Gocchin's, Eri gets Tsuji's, and Ai gets Mikitty's.~


Also, I think it's only appropriate that Yuko starts the "Thank You!" at the end, consdering she was Momusu's first leader and all.



And now my rant is done.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Big Bang's 'Last Farewell'. ♪

I have basically been listening to this non-stop. I posted the link in the entry where I talked about my personal music choices for school dances, AND I HAVE NOT STOPPED LISTENING TO IT SINCE. ♡

Seriously. I downloaded it, put it on my iPod, and then promptly listened to it several times.

Every morning before school, I walk around the house with my headphones in (trying to actually wake up), and this morning, I covered between eight and ten listens to this song.

I AM SO ADDICTED TO IT, IT'S NOT EVEN FUNNY ANYMORE.

I need to get my Korean friend's opinion on this song; we played Super Junior's 'Don't Don' in his car last week, and he actually liked it! :D :D :D

'LAST FAREWELL' IS TOO AWESOME TO BE IGNORED, SO HERE'S THE LINK AGAIN.

I can't tell any of the members apart, though, but merely from listening to the song, I think I like G-Dragon(?)/the one that yells "Yes! Big Bang is back! Most definitely! Incredible!" when the true music starts up (if that's all the same member, I can't even tell).

If I wanted to learn, though, I'm sure I could. Telling Super Junior apart is now a breeze for me, but it took me maybe a month to learn.

Eh.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

What a conundrum!

The circus leaves Baltimore this coming Sunday, and suddenly, it's the only thing in the world I really want to see right now.

I WILL GET TO THIS CIRCUS OR DIE IN THE PROCESS.



THIS IS NOT A JOKE.

Monday, March 17, 2008

I don't know.

I have decided that at any given time I am either extremely happy externally while being a seething b-i-t-c-h internally or extremely happy internally while being a seething b-i-t-c-h externally.

Or the default option: I simply have constant PMS, and I'm essentially harmless.








Excuse me, I appear to be having an identity crisis.

To tide everything over while I'm out of business, here's HeeChul shopped as a woman.



Not too much of a difference, I know.

L'arc en Ciel's 'Ready, Steady, GO!'~!

Back in the day (oh, almost four years ago now), I fell in love with this song because it was the opening that played on AdultSwim for 'Fullmetal Alchemist'.

Years later (read: merely a few minutes ago), I decided to look up the real music video with English subtitles because I had been randomly belting this song out while attempting to work on my A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man journal, and I wanted to know what the lyrics meant (no, for some reason, I still was not too sure after all of these years).

Thus, I discovered that the English translation for this song has lyrics that would've been absolutely perfect to describe one's feelings in the midst of a Cross-Country meet.

Too bad Cross-Country season ended in October/November! D: I'm also a senior, so I won't be able to run it next year.

This song would've fit so well, had I bothered to look up the lyrics any sooner. Drat.






OH, OH. Today was Orchestra Festival, and my orchestra and I got straight 1s as our performance grades from the judges! On a 1-5 scale, 1 is superior! I am so ecstatic; I feel so accomplished. We may even get to go on to States like last year! OH RAPTURE.

And yeah, that's all.

Edit: Oh man, because of this whole 'Ready Steady GO!' escapade, I've been watching 'FMA' openings and endings, and they get me so nostalgic I COULD CRY. D: D: D:

I know that if I even so much as THINK ABOUT the 'Hikaru no Go' openings and endings, I may curl into a ball and bawl in a dark corner, wishing for my youth back.

Granted, I'm only seventeen now, BUT I USED TO WATCH THIS ALL WHEN I WAS FOURTEEN AND FIFTEEN AND THINK I WAS OLD. Time moves so fast!

Edit again: I CAN'T EVEN FATHOM THE 'INUYASHA' OPENINGS, THEN! MUCH LESS THE 'YU YU HAKUSHO' ONES FROM WHEN I WAS A WEE TOT AND JUST STARTING TO LIKE ANIME.

Edit once more: Ahahaha, yes! My brother just told me which Momusu member he thinks I look like from the 'Resonant Blue' PV! Conversation goes as follows:

'Resonant Blue' PV: begins playing
Alyson: Okay, so tell me which one I look like. :D
Sean: sighs, but watches
Alyson: inwardly beams...and outwardly
Sean: You always look like the same one to me...
Alyson: rubs hands together conspiratorially Yes, yes, go on.
Sean: But I can only see three here.
Alyson: I KNOW. ISN'T IT TERRIBLE?
Sean: They're only focusing on the ones with the white shirts...
Alyson: SEE, SEE, I WAS RIGHT.
Sean: You don't look like those three.
Alyson: THANK THE LORD.
Sean: Oh, I see the one!
Alyson: gesticulates wildly to "back dancers" Which one?!
Sean: That one!
Alyson: stops hand YES, I KNEW I LOOKED LIKE THE MOST LIKE RISA. HAHAHAHA, I WIN.
Sean: Now, you have to watch the 'White Stripes' for me.
Alyson: FINE~!

And, now I am happy. I may be a vain b-i-t-c-h, but I'm a content vain b-i-t-c-h.

The end.

Also, '200-Pound Beauty'; I am watching it.

The true end.




Edit from a few months in the future: Dang, it looks like the L'arc en Ciel vid. is unavailable now, and I can't find another with subtitles. D: D: D:

Sunday, March 16, 2008

I'm trying to test HTML codes, and this will probably fail.

Edit: THIS HAS NEVER WORKED FOR ME BEFORE.
©
π

Despite my somewhat negative commentary...

...I cannot stop watching the 'Resonant Blue' PV.

I wish I could be in Momusu so that I could be in PVs like this, BUT I'M NOT JAPANESE (or even Asian, at that), OH WOE.

I can only hold hope for my children, who will be an American (read: Irish/Austrian/German/other random European blood) and Thai mixed.

Maybe Momusu will have expanded into the entirety of Asia by that point.


BUT YES. The PV will not stop playing on my computer; I've even downloaded a version with English subtitles!


Fun fact: I've been trying to get my brother to tell me which member I look like (OF THE ONES THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY PICK OUT, THAT IS) in this PV (because I'm a vain whore, yay!), and whenever I start to play it, he leaves. He likes Momusu, but he hates when I play the "Which one do I look like!??1111!?" game with him.

It gets very tiring when he shuns me, but I'm used to it. :DV


Another, unJpop-related, fun fact: My cat just spazzed off of a chair in the kitchen, crashed into a basket, which unceremoniously followed him down the stairs, then he promptly smacked into the front outer-door, which opened because of the force at which he hit it, then this lovely ball of sunshine ricocheted down the rest of the stairs with wide eyes and a tail with the circumference of a standard-size baseball.

It was pretty epic.

I laughed so much today.

Firstly, I helped my younger brother and his friends film a project for their English class. There was much lulz involved. I can't even explain it, but sometimes ninth-grade boys can be really funny.

Secondly, I went out tonight with my friends to see 'Horton Hears a Who'. That movie was downright hilarious. I am SO GLAD that we caught it in time because it was the last show of the night, and we were ten/fifteen minutes late. We missed only some of the previews though (there's going to be an 'Ice Age' movie involving dinosaurs in 2009!; we did catch that preview).

I was in tears and completely incoherent by the end of this movie originally meant for kids, and I'm a cynical teenager (kinda, but not really)!

GO SEE THIS MOVIE IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY, I DEFINITELY RECOMMEND IT.

And then I arrived home half an hour after midnight, and my brother showed me the final (read: edited) version of the movie for his English class.



I don't think I've ever genuinely laughed so much in one day before; the Ides of March '08 was awesome.


Now, bed.

Friday, March 14, 2008

So. I was sitting here taking a 'Yaoi-Level Selector' quiz...

...and then my mother walks in the house from work and tells me that she's about to make my weekend.

I was like "Eh????" and didn't really move because my head hurt real badly, and I just told my mom to come in my room and tell me.

In the end, I figured out that I GOT THE HUMANITIES SCHOLARSHIP TO UMBC, AND I HAD REALLY WANTED THIS MORE THAN ANYTHING, AND I AM SO, SO, SO EXCITED NOW, AND I CAN'T WAIT TO SCREAM IT TO THE WORLD.

I GOT A FULL SCHOLARSHIP. SLDKSJFL;KASJD. I KNEW THAT MY INTERVIEW WENT WELL, I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT.

I AM SO HAPPY I COULD BURST; TODAY HAS BEEN SUCH A GOOD DAY.

Besides the whole head-ache thing, that is.

NEVERTHELESS, I AM DYING OF JOY. I NEED TO CALL MY GRANDMOTHER AND SQUEE, SHE LIKES THIS STUFF.





Happy Pi(e) Day~!

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Momusu's 'Resonant Blue' PV...

Edit: What follows is an extremely biased review. I am quite aware that I am over-the-top biased (don't mean to offend, but I'm not an Ai, Reina, or Koharu fan, so...), and I say some things here that are unnecessary, but hey. It was my personal review, and I tend to exaggerate...a lot. I'm also aware that Tsunku writes and produces everything Momusu-related, but because of my over-the-top bias, I kinda ignore that fact. I deeply respect all three of the leads in this song/PV, and I appreciate all that they have done and will do for Momusu and Momusu's popularity, but like I said, I exaggerate when I'm fed-up/disappointed with certain things, and I come off a lot meaner than I meant to.

That said, carry on, if you wish. Just be prepared.






It's out, and it can be found here.

I'll reserve my final judgments for later; Tsunku claims that there will be another version of this PV released. It is a bit early for an H!P PV to be released, so I pray that this is true.

I have a huge qualm with this dance-shot-only (it seems) PV; FIND THE ENTRY WITH MY MOMUSU FAVORITES BANNER. CAREFULLY EXAMINE THE THREE COMING IN DEAD-LAST. THEN CAREFULLY EXAMINE THE THREE LEADS IN THIS PV (AKA THE THREE WITH SOME TYPE OF WHITE IN THEIR CLOTHING).





I AM SO SADDENED.

IT'S A TERRIBLE DAY WHEN FREAKIN' KUSUMI KOHARU IS MY FAVORITE OUT OF THE FRONT GIRLS.

Reina and Ai's voices are nice and all, BUT IT'S SO BORING HEARING THEM OVER AND OVER.

IT'S PRACTICALLY THE AI-REINA-KOHARU TRIO WITH SIX BACK-UP DANCERS THAT ARE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE AWESOME THAN THOSE IN THE TRIO ITSELF.




Now, I'm going to try and take a deep breath.


...The song is completely awesome (despite the bland and over-used vocals, it has a nice style; other vocals (GAKIKAME DFDSKGJLDKGJA) would've made this song absolutely stellar, but whatever). I love the song, and I may even order the CD, who knows?

The dance is frickin' amazing. I love it so much! The overall feel of the dance? GLORIOUS. It's so dark and thrash-y and FANTASTIC, it's kinda like 'Egao YES Nude', 'Shabondama', and 'Do it! Now' mixed but with an original style.

This version (WE NEED ANOTHER ONE WITH MORE THAN AI-REINA-KOHARU FRONT GIRL DOMINATION, A FEW SHOTS OF RISA MERELY GOING "BABY, BABY!", AND A SINGLE SHOT OF SAYUMI SAYING "HELP ME!") begins with Aika standing front and center (don't get used to it) surrounded by JunJun and LinLin. You get a quick glimpse of Risa and Eri (WHO SHOULD'VE BEEN THE LEADS, CRY) dash by, and then the song is taken over by the God-awful trio.

I can't even tell what the order is. I'm thinking that, left to right during the main dance-shot, it goes LinLin, Risa, the three attention-whores, Eri, JunJun, and Sayumi and Aika are shunned to the back (SACRILEGE).

The best parts of this are when it begins (8th Gen.~!), the "dakedo, nee, nee, dakedo"/"dare ka, nee, nee, dare ka" parts when Risa and Eri come thrash in the center (I LIKE TO PRETEND THEY'RE LEADS HERE, 'PRETEND' BEING THE KEY WORD), and Sayumi's "Help me!" when we finally realize that she's actually in this PV. D: D: D:

That all said, the dance-shot's concept is truly awesome and amazing, but the front girls need to be switched around a bit. AND BY 'A BIT', I MEAN 'SIGNIFICANTLY'.

I do like Ai, Reina, and Koharu's outfits here (especially Ai and Reina's), but that all that I really feel like saying about them. I'm sure rabid Ai-Reina-Koharu fans will squee and be extremely content.

I, meanwhile, am wishing for a PV with some awesome close-ups, maybe (MAYBE?) a story-line, and a few shots of the dance.





Koharu smiles during her "Help me!" lines; this bothers me. In all serious-ness, this girl doesn't know what she is doing.

At least she's better than cocky, fake Reina and boring, only-good-for-singing-and-even-then-oh-so-bland Ai, though.



I'm allowed to be harsh, I'm PO-ed. Why did something so incredibly wonderful have to be tarnished like this? I know H!P has a history of pushing front girls and shunning the others, but I'm still very disappointed with this arrangement.



Now, to return to Hello!Online and collect what I was originally going there for before this PV news hit me: the MiniMoni 'Crazy About You' instrumental. I really, really feel like singing that song today, and I think I will.

Sunday, March 9, 2008

My day and my resulting realizations.

Today was actually a very productive Sunday despite the lost hour; I woke up (AT 11:15, STUPID DAYLIGHT SAVINGS) and immediately finished a Spanish packet (adverbial clauses and the subjuntive, ugh) and recorded excerpts of my orchestra pieces to hand into my instructor.

Now for today's realizations.

I went on a long and gorgeous hike with my dad and dogs today, and I realized that the proper way to sneak up on a herd of deer is to stay behind trees and crawl on the ground (and even then, they'll most likely see/hear you and run), that hawks will sometimes attack shadows of inanimate objects, that you need to stay in valleys and behind tree-lines when you are trespassing for an exceedingly long time at a place where you will get arrested if spotted, that all golf courses are owned by Republicans, that racing moving cars can be really enjoyable, and that nature is a beautiful thing that doesn't get a quarter of the attention it deserves in this day and age.

After said hike, I played some 'Super Smash Bros. Brawl' with my younger brother. Nothing was realized here except the ways to play the old Nintendo classic on a Wii-mote.

I was then told that I was allowed to accompany my mother to a viewing of her friend's mom. The atmosphere was surprisingly very relaxed, and my mom's friend (known to be a crier) held up extremely well. I realized here that funeral parlours are actually very nice places, the family of the deceased is not always sad, black doesn't need to be worn to a viewing, people will actually get portraits taken in anticipation of their death just so they can have an updated picture present at their viewing/funeral, casket-linings can have words embroidered on them, fingernails are removed once a person dies so that they can't grow any longer (this realization came as a kind of sudden thing I happened to spot while, uh, viewing the deceased), and that death does not seem like a scary thing or something to be terrified of.

The rest is not really made up of realizations, it's just fangirl blathering. Sometimes I like to connect my fandoms to my real life. :D :D :D :D

I "decorated" (read: stuck on pictures printed off of the computer) all of my white binders (Human Geography, Orchestra, and Spanish), and now they all have a different Chococat image on them! On a related note, I even have a Chococat cell-phone lanyard that I bought at Otakon attached to my phone. Yayayayayay Chococat!

Last week, I had a Humanities Scholarship interview at UMBC, my future college, and my interviewers were extremely curious about my musical interests. I was questioned about my singing and interest in Japanese and Korean music and my skills as a violist. I was then repeatedly told that I should compose music. Thinking on this, I became interested. If I ever, ever, ever, ever, EVER got the drive to do such a thing as compose music (BUT I NEED THE MOTIVATION FOR SUCH AN INVOLVED TASK, OH WOE), I would definitely arrange this early w-inds. song into an orchestral piece. IT WOULD BE SO BEAUTIFUL. I've even been thinking about which parts to give to which instruments and the balance involved, about the tempo (andante, allegro, largo, allegretto, and on and on) and rests, about the dynamics and crescendos and decrescendos, etc., etc.. IT WOULD BE AMAZING I TELL YOU, TRULY STELLAR. This song also seems like something I can completely relate to; the lyrics convey something that a Gemini can definitely empathize with.

Also, I was thinking about Prom, which is in a little over a month, and I ended up pondering the music to be played. I'm sure whatever the new 'Soulja Boy' is (ack ack ack ack, spit spit, retch) will be present multiple times (though I have no earthly idea what song this may be, and I don't care), I highly doubt any good music will be played. I'm sure it will be all rap and romantic junk. WHERE WILL THE DANCE MUSIC BE? IT WILL BE A DANCE, AND KNOWING THE PAST DANCES I'VE BEEN TO, THERE WILL BE NO DANCE MUSIC. WTF, DANCES, WTF.

So. In my mind, Prom's music will consist of all songs by ToyBox (the people who did the song 'Butterfly' on DDR Extreme 2; my friend, Laura, played more of their stuff in the car yesterday, and I liked what I heard), the Daft Punk song 'One More Time', and this Korean song (the true song doesn't start for awhile, but when it does, HELLO SEX IN SONG-FORM, PLZ TO BE PLAYED AT PROM, EVEN THOUGH YOU WON'T BE BECAUSE THE SCHOOL DISCRIMINATES AGAINST ANYTHING NOT IN ENGLISH).

EVERYTHING I AM SUGGESTING WOULD EVEN FIT THE WHOLE "PROM IS OUR LAST DANCE, EVARRRRRRRRR" CONCEPT (except maybe the ToyBox, but you never know).

I highly, highly doubt anything decent will be played at Prom, though, but I've got my fingers crossed.

At least 'The Cha-Cha Slide' is awesome.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

I swear...

...that I'm truly not as much of a b-i-t-c-h as I came off as in my last post. I SWEAR ON MY NEW KITTY GYM CD.

No, but really. My conscience is strong, and I felt that I needed to inform the Internet that I can be a good person, srsly. Most of the time I am (if I do say so myself), but everybody has cynical days, right? :D

Anyway, KITTY GYM CAME. Or, I guess I should just say GYM CAME. After all, there is no evidence of any of the Johnny's Juniors that make up the Kitty portion of the name in the song itself or on the packaging. They seem to only back-dance in the PV. The CD case doesn't have any reference to them on it, nor does the inside pamphlet (unless I'm missing some characters somewhere, which is very likely) mention them anywhere.

It's going to be hard to wean myself from screeching about Kitty GYM to simply screeching about GYM; Kitty GYM had a nicer, weirder ring to it.

SPEAKING OF. I WAS NOT AWARE THAT THE CD INCLUDED A SONG SUNG ENTIRELY IN ENGLISH BY GOLF AND MIKE. I was scanning the lyrics booklet and happened upon an entire song in English, and I immediately flipped back to 'Fever to Future' to see if it had been translated as well. ALAS.

However, I still like 'Fever to Future' the best. :DV It has that upbeat feel to it that I seem to be drawn to, while the rest of the songs (a Yamapi solo, THE ENGRISH GOLF AND MIKE DUET, I CAN'T GET OVER THE CONCEPT, and another song sung by the three) are a little more relaxed. Relaxed is nice, don't get me wrong, it's just my personal preference that steers me toward fast-paced, exciting pieces.

Anyway, I showed my mother the CD case excitedly when she came home this afternoon, and she picked out Mike, saying, "I like this one..."

I, of course, flailed and rabidly complimented her on her taste in Thai JPop (AND ENGRISH) singers, until she said, "He looks like that gay kid from 'American Idol'. :D :D :D :D"

I simply stood there, stunned into silence, and after a long inward debate on the implications of this comment, I took it as a good thing. At least my mother approved, in some way, of my, uh, boyfriend...from Thailand...that sings in Japanese....AND ENGLISH.

Too bad Danny Noriega got kicked off tonight. I kinda liked his prissy, diva attitude, too. I want a hot, gay friend.

Edit: I HAD TO DO THIS, I AM SO PROUD OF MY NEW BABY. Ignore my incapabilities with my own camera; the flash is present many a time, sometimes predominantly. D:



ISN'T IT BEAUTIFUL? That's my boyfriend on the right! Also, notice Yamapi's pimp-hat. Golf's just kinda there.



The CD itself; GYM is splashed across the top in big, bold letters, but where's the Kitty?



The picture on the first page of the pamphlet, not much different from the cover. It deserved a spot anyway, though.



ENGLISH LYRICS, WHUT. OVBIOUSLY, THIS IS EXTREMELY NECESSARY. IGNORE THE LARGE FLASH, I WAS EXCITED.



MIKE! I LOVE THIS KID. I feel sorry to have cut his brother out of the picture, but what can I say? He actually does look surprisingly similar to Danny Noriega, though. :0





Well, I'm actually kinda tired, so I think I'll trot off to bed soon.

Night!

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

MY KITTY GYM HAS NOT YET ARRIVED, OH WOE.

THE LONG, DREARY DAYS OF MARCH WILL BE EVEN LONGER AND DREARIER WITHOUT MY KITTY GYM.

It supposedly shipped out last Thursday, so WHERE IS IT??? Grrrr.

Anyway, on a personal note, today I learned that I am an emotional sadist. I send rumors about myself (y'know, "I like him!" or "No, I really don't like him at all!", really grade-school stuff) out to my group(s) of friends, and then I sit back and watch emotional chaos unfold like the cat that ate the canary.

I don't even know why I'm typing this all on a blog, actually; I guess I know that the Internet doesn't judge people (or does it?) for their tendency to be an emotional masochist with malignant intent. I find entire "He likes you! OMGGGGGG!!!11!" scenarios really, REALLY amusing and entertaining, and so I like to watch them unfold and lie my way through them, laughing inside all the time.

Maybe this is my true Gemini nature? Or maybe I'm just naturally an evil person. After just now slogging through that whole religious sermon in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, I feel like I'm going to be sent to Hell for the slightest thing I do.

What can I say, books influence me. Trust me, though, I'm not a holy-roller, God forbid. Ohohoho.




Wow, I'm in a really cynical and b-i-t-c-h-y mood today. D: I SWEAR IT'S THE LACK OF KITTY GYM.

SO. LET'S BRIGHTEN EVERYBODY'S DAY UP WITH SOME W-INDS. FOOTAGE. It's a concert performance (I don't know the date, but judging from the members' appearances, I would say within the last year or two? I'm aware that I should know this...) of 'Try Your Emotion''s coupling song, 'Graduation'.

I LOVE THIS SONG. It's one of my all-time w-inds. favorites, along with 'Shiki' and a few others, and this song especially means a lot to me now more than ever because I'm a high-school senior. As of late, I've been singing it more that anything else, with 'Fever to Future' a close second. I've been belting out 'Graduation', though, around my house constantly for the past few days.

Ryo and Ryu are very awesome here, and as much as I hate the whole concept of Keita getting the spotlight all the time (I still adore him, though!), he really deserves it here. There is SO MUCH emotion in this song, it's unbelievable. I was close to crying last night when I watched it for the first time.

I have loved w-inds. for almost two years (and, of course, scoured the Internet for all of their vids., perfs., etc.), and this has to be one of the best things I have ever seen.

Here are English-translated lyrics, and here are romanji lyrics.

So, without further ado:





I really like the quick shot of the neck of the guitar before the second chorus. :D

And, man, Keita's notes at 2:43 and 3:57 are stellar. He does sound a bit strained, but he's really pushing it here, and it's awesome.

Five stars, w-inds., five stars.



And now I'm going to go counsel myself on what it means to be nice to others and what happens to little girls that compulsively lie before I get slapped in the face with bad karma. Maybe I'll also have a bit of cherry pie and watch America's Next Top Model at 8:00.

Sounds like a plan.

Edit: I FOUND A PREVIEW OF 'RESONANT BLUE'. I LOVE IT. IT MAY BE TAKAHASHI/TANAKA LEADS AGAIN, BUT I STILL LOVE IT ANYWAY, WHICH IS SAYING SOMETHING. LOADS BETTER THAN 'MIKAN' UPON FIRST LISTEN.

I normally hate random insert screeches/groanings within songs (and yet I like 'Egao YES Nude', haha), but I am enraptured by the "OO-WAY, OO-WAY-OH "-ing done here.

THE PV MUST BE COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY AWESOME (am I asking too much, H!P?), OR THIS ENTIRE CREATION OF PERFECTION WILL BE RUINED.

I WAIT ON TENTERHOOKS WITH MY FINGERS CROSSED.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

The origin of my eternal love for JPop.






No explanation needed. In short, old-school w-inds. pwnz n00bs.