H!P Top Members/Thoughts Mid Year 2017

This probably should've been done already lol. H!P has been crazy this year. Between graduation announcements, crazy shake ups with Country Girls, random KSS being promoted to nothingness. It's actually awesome. I love shake ups. I'm still disappointed that there still hasn't been any new album announcements (no, I don't count Momoko's compilation Country Girls tacked on thing). All of the groups minus Kobushi need a new one. Very happy C-ute got their best collection with B-sides though. That was a plus.

Morning Musume

-"Morning Musume won't have any graduations this year!" People said. People were wrong and I knew they would be. You seriously didn't think that after 6 years in the group 9th/10th wouldn't have at least one girl leave per year til they're gone? That's denial. I was also right about 10th not leaving all as a group. Haruka being the next to go, however, was surprising. I figured she'd be one of the last of the 9th/10th to go. I still think there will be a 14th gen/13.5 gen this year. With the KSS being up in the air and CG members as well, there will definitely be a new member or new added. Please be Musubu. Please be Musubu. I'll take Reina too.

#1: Masaki Sato (-)

#2: Akane Haga (+1)

#3: Miki Nonaka (-1)

#4: Sakura Oda (-)

#5: Reina Yokoyama (+6)

#6: Ayumi Ishida (+1)

#7: Maria Makino (-1)

#8: Haruna Ogata (+1)

#9: Erina Ikuta (-1)

#10: Haruna Iikubo (-1)

#11: Kaede Kaga (+1)

#12: Mizuki Fukumura (-1)

Angerme

Ayaka was made H!P leader! Yes! I'm so so glad that they didn't pass her up just to favor Musume. She really deserves the position. I've also changed my mind about her announcing this year. I do think she will leave next year, but I don't think the announcement will be until next year because of all of the changes in H!P at the moment. I also don't think Maho is coming back. I love her and I wish she would, but she's been gone so long and their newest single really feels like an indication that she's not coming back. She needs to do what's best for her mental health and if that's not coming back, I hope she chooses it instead of hurting herself. Still think a second gen will be leaving this year. I'm going with Rina. I'd like to see Nanami get put here. She doesn't really have the "Angerme look", but I'd think it'd be a challenge for her. Ruru would also be nice in this group.

#1: Ayaka Wada (-)

#2: Mizuki Murota (-)

#3: Maho Aikawa (-)

#4: Rikako Sasaki (-)

#5: Moe Kamikokuryou (-)

#6: Kana Nakanishi (+1)

#7: Rina Katsuta (+1)

#8: Akari Takeuchi (-2)

#9: Momona Kasahara (-)

Juice=Juice

If they add a new girl to Juice, we're definitely seeing a graduation this year and I don't think it'd be either Tomoko or Yuka. I really hope they don't add new members to Juice. They need at least one group to stay static to be like C-ute. The only member out of those up in the air I'd be slightly ok with joining JJ would be Reina. She's close enough in age to the others, but I still wouldn't prefer it. If management adds Ayano because "Haha Karin and Ayano twinsies!" I'm giving up on H!P.

#1: Karin Miyamoto (-)

#2: Sayuki Takagi (-)

#3: Yuka Miyazaki (+1)

#4: Akari Uemura (-1)

#5: Tomoko Kanazawa (-)

Country Girls

I'm slightly disappointed that they're being made a sub group after Momoko leaves. However, I don't think it's because Momoko's leaving. I think that both Risa and Mai started discussing their own graduations with management and that is why they're going part time. Management didn't want to lose two more members (i.e. lose even more money), so they talked them into the part time thing. Once the graduation wave this year slows down, I can see Risa graduating and Mai soon after that. Effectively ending Country Girls. Management also knew that losing three members at once would destroy Country Girls, leaving the other three left no hopes of gaining traction even if they added more, so they decided to just place them in other groups so they wouldn't lose even MORE money. I'd like to see Chisaki in Tsubaki or a new group, Musubu in Musume or Tsubaki, and Nanami in any group but Musume.

#1: Musubu Funaki (-)

#2: Risa Yamaki (-)

#3: Chisaki Morito (-)

#4: Mai Ozeki (+1)

#5: Nanami Yanagawa (-1)

Kobushi Factory

I was wrong about them sticking together for a year or so. I'm not shocked that Rio's leaving, but I'm slightly disappointed they didn't stick it out whole for another year. I think we'll see a second graduation next year and then they'll be static after that like JJ and C-ute. I'd really rather they didn't add anyone new to Kobushi. Can we have more than one static group please? I don't particularly care for Kobushi, but they work well together as a unit and I don't want a new member wrecking that. If they absolutely have to add someone new, Ayano would work well. I'd be so pissed if they added Musubu to Kobushi though. She has an excellent voice but I don't think she fits the group AT ALL. Please don't H!P. Please.

#1: Rei Inoue (-)

#2: Sakurako Wada (+1)

#3: Minami Nomura (-1)

#4: Ayano Hamaura (+1)

#5: Natsumi Taguchi (+1)

#6: Rena Ogawa (+1)

#7: Ayaka Hirose (-3)

Tsubaki Factory

I still think there will be a graduation this year. Either Risa or Ami. I'm glad they did very good with their first single release. I was a little worried for them. I wouldn't mind some of the girls going into Tsubaki. Musubu would be cool, so would Ruru or Reina. I don't think Ayano would fit, Chisaki would be ok but I'd rather see a group built around her, and I just don't really like Nanami so I don't want her here either but wouldn't be upset if she was. Actually, I think it'd be cool to get some other KSS to be a new gen with some of the transfer girls. That'd be exciting.

#1: Kisora Niinuma (-)

#2: Yumeno Kishimoto (+1)

#3: Mao Akiyama (-1)

#4: Mizuho Ono (-)

#5: Risa Ogata (+1)

#6: Saori Onoda (+1)

#7: Kiki Asakura (-2)

#8: Ami Tanimoto (-)

#9: Riko Yamagishi (-)

??????

This section is for the "yeah you're totally going to debut, we just don't know what to do with you yet!" girls. They're not quite KSS, not quite full members. I'm going to include Momohime & Kurumi in this just because who knows what they heck they're about.

#1: Reina Ichioka

#2: Ruru Danbara

#3: Momohime Kiyono

#4: Kurumi Takase

#5: Ayano Kawamura

Kenshuusei

I'm glad that we got a fairly large generation this year so far, but I hope there's more to come. They need to build up good girls in the KSS again since the program has been pretty gutted in recent years. I was wrong about KSS going to UUG and only slightly disappointed that didn't happen. I don't really follow UUG so meh. Also surprised that no one's really dropped out since MM's auditions. I guess the overwhelming about of debuts recently is keeping girls around.

#1: Hikaru Inoue

#2: Kokoro Maeda

#3: Kizuki Horie

#4: Shiori Nishida

#5: Sakiko Kodama

#6: Reina Doi

#7: Rin Hashisako

#8: Mizuki Kanatsu

#9: Yuhane Yamazaki

#10: Natsume Nakayama

#11: Kotomi Ono

#12: Saya Eguchi

#13: Risa Shimakura

#14: Ichigo Yamada

#15: Kurumi Noguchi

#16: Minami Okamura

#17: Kirara Yonemura

#18: Riai Matsunaga

#19: Marina Hibi

Hokkaido Kenshuusei

Still don't really care about them. Hated Real Little Girl. Can H!P add one to a group so I can form a real opinion on the girls?

#1: Ryo Kitagawa

#2: Minori Kawano

#3: Kanami Ishiguri

#4: Mei Yamazaki

#5: Hikari Sato

#6: Haruka Ota

#7: Yume Kudo

25 Days Of Christmas Countdown Day #22: Top Hello! Project 2016

I am doing my best to keep up with these lol. I really don't know if I'll be able to make it tomorrow but I'm going to try. I'll still make all 25 posts, but life is busy lol. Like yesterday, just jumping straight to the countdown since everything's already been talked about.

#10

Angerme - Itoshima Distance

#9

Morning Musume - Sexy Cat no Ensetsu

#8

Country Girls - Boogie Woogie Love

#7

Kobushi Factory - Sakura Night Fever

#6

Morning Musume - Tokyo to Iu Katatsumi

#5

Juice=Juice - Karada Dake ga Otona ni Nattan ja nai

#4

C-ute - Mugen Climax

#3

Morning Musume - Mukidashi de Mukiatte

#2

Country Girls - Koi wa Magnet

#1

Juice=Juice - Dream Road ~Kokoro ga Odoridashiteru~

25 Days Of Christmas Countdown Day #11: Top Angerme

Ah Angerme. It seems like they're the current "golden child" of H!P fans. They are always praised to the heavens by just about everyone. I don't get it personally. I like Angerme. I do. I like the members, they're talented. But their music is no better or worse than the rest of the H!P groups. It's exactly the same. For me personally, I actually like Angerme's newest material less than everyone but Kobushi. Their EDM-ish tracks are so lame and one note. The girls sound bored singing them. Their rockier tracks are even worse. I've been indifferent to everything they've released this year. Itoshima Distance was probably the highlight and even then it's kind of meh. So disappointing for Meimi's final single. I really hope they get better music next year, or at least have some energy while singing the songs.

Member wise, Angerme has been somewhat surprising this year. Moe was pretty surprisingly added (although I don't remember if that was late last year or early this year. Whatever. She had her first single this year so it counts). Moe seems to be very talented, but I don't find myself drawn to her like everyone else seems to be. She also really looks like Zoe Barnes from House of Cards to me. I don't know why. I didn't like Zoe. She was annoying and I'm glad she was killed off super early into season two (I'm on episode 3 I think of season two so far, such a good show). Off-topic but ANYWAY, I'm indifferent to Moe. Momona though. Gosh I really dislike saying I don't like certain girls because I don't know them personally and they're all younger than I am and it's their dreams to do this job, but I really don't like Momona. They couldn't have picked a more horribly awkward girl for Angerme. She needed another year or two in the Kenshuusei in my opinion. I know that Maho was super awkward at first and she's amazing now, but Maho has a quality that drew me to her from the get go. Seeing Momona in official pictures makes me cringe because she is so out of place. I'm just somewhat disappointed in Angerme all around this year.

#10

Suki yo, Junjou Hankouki (2012) (-2)

#9

Aa Susukino (2014) (NEW)

#8

Ee ka?! (2013) (NEW)

#7

Mystery Night (2014) (-)

#6

Uchouten Love (2011) (-1)

#5

Smile Bijin (2010; from Ganbaranakutemo Eenende) (+1)

#4

Shin Nippon no Susume! (2013; from 2 Smile Sensation) (-)

#3

Nana Korobi Yaoki (2015) (-1)

#2

Yumemiru 15 (2010) (+1)

#1

Chikyuu wo Kyou mo Ai wo Hagukumu (2014) (-)

Top H!P Members [First Half 2016 Edition]

So I've done two of these in the past, with this being the latest one: December 2015 Ranking. I think that this time it's been the hardest for me to rank members. Because of being busy, I haven't really been paying attention to groups as much as I used to. Also, H!P in general is just so boring right now. Most of the group releases so far this year are very boring to me. The only real highlights in my opinion were Juice=Juice's single and Koi wa Magnet. Everything this else ranges from meh to bad. It also doesn't help that releases in general seem to be really spread out this year so it seems like nothing is going on. Although I think the biggest reason in my apathy towards groups is that I simply haven't been buying the CDs like usual because I haven't had the extra money to pay full price for them and it's getting harder to find them cheap on ebay. On that note, I really need to learn how to use YAJ and forwarding services. But, here's my current H!P members ranking. Remember that no member who has announced her graduation/has graduated is listed.

Morning Musume

-I love them to death, I really do, but gosh they have been so boring this year. One release and not even until May?! And then that release is pretty poor? For as high energy as Utakata seems, it feels like there's really no life to it (unless you watch the music video with it, where they're actually looking interested in an MV for once), I haven't even been able to make it through The Vision because it's so bland, and Tokyo, although a great song, just doesn't pack enough punch to save the single. I think they really need a couple new "ace" material girls in the 13th gen to shake things up a bit. They seem too stagnant right now to me. Also, please PLEASE stop the formation dances they have looked terrible for a long time and keep getting worse. I'd love to see them do an EDM track with an update contemporary hip hop dance kind of thing. It'd be so interesting & the kind of *POP* they need right now. An attention getter really. But anyway, onto the girls.

#1: Miki Nonaka

-This surprises me. It really does. I don't know why I like her I just do.

#2: Masaki Sato

-There is something about her this year that just annoys me. Like last year she was really impressing me to the point where I was seriously considering her my favorite member in MM, but this year everything kind of came crashing down for some reason. The only reason she hasn't fallen further is because no one else has grabbed my interest even a little.

#3: Sakura Oda

#4: Akane Haga

#5: Haruka Kudo

#6: Ayumi Ishida

#7: Maria Makino

#8: Mizuki Fukumura

#9: Erina Ikuta

#10: Haruna Iikubo

#11: Haruna Ogata

C-ute

-At this point with C-ute, I wish that H!P would move them under UpFront to become "mature artists" instead of idols if they still want to continue. I just feel like they've done all they can within the constraints of H!P. Honestly, I'm hoping for a disbandment/hiatus/moving to UpFront out of H!P announcement at the year end H!P thing. Not because I necessarily dislike them, but because I feel like they've hit a wall and can't go up any further. Also, I think they all need a break. Mai's voice is just deteriorating more every time I hear some live performance by them. Even Airi and Chisato don't sound as good as they usually do. Their only single this year was on par with the disappointments from last year. Naze Hito was terrible. Just a bad bad song. Their voices/image doesn't work with the "gospel choir" thing. Summer Wind was ok, and Jinsei wa Step, while the best of the three, is still just meh. I need something exciting from them.

#1: Airi Suzuki

#2: Chisato Okai

#3: Saki Nakajima

#4: Mai Hagiwara

#5: Maimi Yajima

Angerme

-A moment of silence for Meimi's graduation please. I miss her already and she hasn't even left yet. H!P did her SOOO wrong. She deserved solos. She deserved spotlight. She could've been marketed as an idol with real true singing talent. She should've been head of a group like Osaka Shunkashuto. Maybe someday I'll get my wish and she'll come back as a solo singer. As for Angerme themselves, again, meh. Moe seems like she'll be pretty talented, but she's too new to really tell. This "only one release in the first half of a year" thing is really bad for my interest because it seems like nothing is happening. I can't even really comment on the single either because I haven't even taken the time to listen to the other songs besides Tsugitsugi in full because the single came out around finals week and I haven't gotten to it since.

#1: Ayaka Wada

#2: Mizuki Murota

#3: Rikako Sasaki

#4: Maho Aikawa

#5: Akari Takeuchi

#6: Rina Katsuta

#7: Kana Nakanishi

#8: Moe Kamikokuryou

-The only reason Moe is at the bottom is because of how new she is. She will likely surpass at least Rina & Kana.

Juice=Juice

-Ah, the ONLY group with a perfect single this year! Both Karada & Next Is You were so awesome. I'm glad that the release was great because I was pretty disappointed in the stuff they put out last year. I'm cautious about their next single though. I just hope that it comes out soon.

#1: Karin Miyamoto

#2: Akari Uemura

#3: Sayuki Takagi

#4: Yuka Miyazaki

#5: Tomoko Kanazawa

Country Girls

-Can you say 180 turn around? It's honestly shocking to me how good they became this year. I personally thought they would be mediocre forever following Tameranai, but then they release Koi wa Magnet?? What?? Boogie Woogie Love was so catchy too! I was honestly in shock when I heard them. I didn't care for Anata ni Muchuu cause it was way too cutesy for my taste, but 2 out of 3 ain't bad. And Musubu! Her voice in Boogie & Koi! I'm so so thankful she got to debut and although I was really uncertain about it being with Country Girls, I'm glad she did because she added a vocal tone that was needed in the group. Something deeper and strong. I hope that good things are ahead of them

#1: Musubu Funaki

#2: Risa Yamaki

#3: Manaka Inaba

#4: Chisaki Morito

#5: Mai Ozeki

#6: Nanami Yanagawa

#7: Momoko Tsugunaga

-Can she leave this year? Please? I like the idea of a long time member leading a younger group but she looks so out of place with them.

Kobushi Factory

-They actually surprised this year too. I didn't like any of their new single at first, but after I bought it, I fell absolutely in love with Sakura Night Fever. The carefree pop/rock sound is just perfect for them. They need to stop with the growling though. Not only does it sound bad, but I'm worried they're going to hurt their vocal chords because of how young they are.

#1: Rei Inoue

-Her hair is so gorgeous! No, I don't only like her because of her hair, she's arguably the most talented vocally in KF, but HOW does she have such long straight hair like that?! What is your secret? I want to know! - Sincerely, a girl who can't have long hair because it turns into a poofy tangled mess no matter what she does to it. xD

#2: Minami Nomura

#3: Ayaka Hirose

#4: Sakurako Wada

#5: Ayano Hamaura

#6: Natsumi Taguchi

#7: Rio Fujii

#8: Rena Ogawa

Tsubaki Factory

-When are they gonna get a new original song D: I need more EDM awesomeness from them! And a major debut! Please H!P? Please?

#1: Kisora Niinuma

#2: Yumeno Kishimoto

#3: Risa Ogata

#4: Kiki Asakura

#5: Ami Tanimoto

#6: Riko Yamagishi

Kenshuusei

-I have to say I was pretty disappointed in the Kenshuusei test thingy this year. In past years I ended up pleasantly surprised with some girls, but this year almost all of them sounded bad. I don't know if it was poor choice in songs or what, but most did worse than what they're capable of. This time, I'm going to attempt to rank all of the girls, even though some ranks will be practically interchangeable.

#1: Mao Akiyama

-I'd LOVE to see her in 13 gen Musume.

#2: Ruru Danbara

#3: Kizuki Horie

#4: Momohime Kiyono

-So I was very skeptical about her when she came into the program. I tend to find myself disliking girls who get all the initial fawning over because the hype is usually blown so out of proportion it's ridiculous. But, I have to say that I was very surprised with her performance on the Kenshuusei test. This girl is what, 11? And she can sing like THAT?! Honestly, I don't believe she'll be added to Musume at all. I think she's the next Karin/Ayano. A girl who will be in the program for a while & everyone will complain about, but gets to be center in her very own group.

#5: Hikaru Inoue

#6: Reina Ichioka

#7: Kurumi Takase

#8: Kokoro Maeda

#9: Momona Kasahara

#10: Sakiko Kodama

#11: Kaede Kaga

#12: Saori Onoda

#13: Mizuki Kanatsu

#14: Kurumi Noguchi

#15: Mizuho Ono

#16: Kotomi Ono

#17: Nagisa Hashimoto

#18: Momoko Shimano

#19: Rion Nakano

#20: Kirara Yonemura

#21: Yumei Yokogawa

-I really hate saying this because it's totally dream crushing to a young girl, but please don't debut her H!P. She's quite honestly the worst singer I've ever heard in H!P. I know that singing really doesn't matter in idol groups, but she's a whole other level of bad. She could totally be a model though because of how pretty she is.

So that's my bi-yearly ranking. Not many members changed spots. Not sure if that's because of apathy or because I actually have a solidified list.

Do you agree with my rankings/comments? Or do you have a different ranking?

25 Days Of Christmas Countdown Day #22: Top Hello! Project Songs 2015

I'm not entirely certain on my feelings about H!P's music this year. Losing Tsunku as the producer for almost all of the groups was such a huge blow in my opinion. His music was the main reason I fell in love with Hello! Project as much as I did. I'm hoping that as he continues to recover and get more into work again that we'll see at least one song by him per group next year.

Morning Musume probably released the best tracks as a whole this year. From their first single this year, Seishun Kozou and Yuugure were both fantastic. I've gotten a little sick of Seishun, but Yuugure is really a highlight in their discography. Ima Koko Kara was good as well, but I often forget it exists. Their second single was awesome as well, with Oh My Wish being one of my favorite tracks from the colorful era. Sukatto was a nice break from the EDM for those that had been wishing for it. Ima Sugu I don't care for much at all. It's really bland. Their newest single doesn't take up any spots on my list because it's too new, but it continues their sreak of pretty good singles for the year. Endless Sky is ok. I like it more than Ima Sugu at least. Tsumetai is absolutely gorgeous though. If it had been released a little sooner I could have easily placed it among the best of the year. The beat in the song is perfection. One And Only is amazing for the sole fact that it was made for us. The foreign fanbase. I'm grateful that UFP wants to reach out to us like they do. They don't have to, but they do anyway and it is so appreciated. The song itself is typical Musume, but a lot of fun to close out a bittersweet goodbye single for Riho.

Berryz sole musical offering this year remains one of their best ever. I'm glad they ended with a high. I'll still miss them though.

C-ute was one of the worst music-wise in H!P this year. I did quite like The Middle Management, but it wasn't good enough to have a place on my list. Tsugi no Kado eventually grew on me and GamushaLife kind of did, but both are kind of boring if you're not in the mood to listen to them. Their second single was pretty bad though in my opinion. Even though I love hearing Airi & Chisato sing, Arigatou is so boring. It was difficult to get through it once. Arashi would have been good if Maimi wasn't allowed to sing. She kind of ruins it. The previews from their album aren't all that great either. I had high hopes for Digitalic because I was expecting something Perfume-y, but it sounds like a mess. The rest I can't remember at all which isn't a good sign. Hoping next year is better for C-ute. Actually, I think they'd be better off graduating from idol-dom and moving to UFP as full artists. They could do so much more I believe without H!P & the idol tag holding them in place.

Angerme has given me mixed feelings this year. On one hand, they've really come into their own as a group with the addition of the 3ki. The group seemed pretty solid this year. Losing Kanon didn't seem like it would affect them much, and then Meimi announced her graduation. Meimi is really a core vocalist for the group and it's going to be a major blow when she leaves so I hope everyone steps up when she's gone. Music-wise, I don't feel like Angerme was a solid as their group seems. Taiki Bansei & Otome was an amazing way to start the year. The gothic and peppy themes worked perfectly. Their second single didn't come through as much as their first did. Nana Korobi is one of the best things they've done this year, but Gashinshoutan was boring generic idol pop. Mahou Tsukai was cute, but felt out of place for the group. Their final single was their worst this year though. I want to pretend like Desugita doesn't exist and Watashi is okay but annoying to listen to more than a little. Dondengaeshi was pretty good and I certainly hope that if their last single is indication on the direction they're doing to choose, I hope that direction is Dondengaeshi and not Desugita. Of the new songs on their album, only Marionette is a stand out (and one of their best ever). The other Latin flavored one was pretty good, but beyond that I only remember the other ones being boring. I'm just hoping for consistency for them next year.

Juice=Juice was completely a non-event this year. One single and one album, that's it. Next year seems bright for them though because of their drama coming up. Their only single this year was quite a let down from their previous material. Beyond what Country Girls put out, Wonderful World is the most bland song to come out of H!P this year. Ca va was pretty great, but still pales in comparison to their main A-sides in past years. Their album proved to be better than the single, even though I don't remember half of the tracks. That's my own fault though. I haven't given the album a listen since I received it.

Country Girls started off well for a cutesy group, but took a nosedive with their second single. I had absolutely no expectations for them as cutesy groups are a pretty big turn off for me, but their first single was so catchy! Itooshikute & Koi Dorobu are fun tracks despite being cutesy. Because I had been surprised by them with their first single, I was looking forward to their next one. Which was horrible. A poor Itooshikute rip off & the generic mess of Tameranai. Gone was the charm of the first single. I'm hoping that with the addition of the two new members, they can get back on a good path next year. Hopefully. I'd be horribly disappointed if Musubu was exiled to the blandness of Country Girls and they never improved.

Kobushi had a pretty good debut year in my opinion. I'm not a huge fan of the rock style for idol groups, but it suits them so much. I'm actually disappointed that they only had one true single this year. It's actually funny that in the end Nen ni wa Nen, which I thought would be the only song I liked on the single, turned out to be my least played from it. I'm not going to pretend that Ramen Daisuki is actually a good song, but it's so catchy that you can't help but love it in the end. Dosukoi is also really fun. It's too bad nothing topped Survivor this year though. Even though it was just for a stage play, it's their best song yet and I hope to see more of that "darker pop/rock" style in their upcoming single.

Tsubaki was the wild card this year. No one expected a new group formed right after Kobushi. I honestly didn't expect a whole lot out of them. The only member I really sort of cared about in the Kenshuusei was Kisora. Then they released their first song. Yeah they aren't the greatest singers or performers or what have you, but they managed to blow even Morning Musume out of the water with their song. I have heard their newest song and it sounds super catchy like Seishun as well so I have high hopes for it when a better performance comes out. Tsubaki is the group I'm most excited to see in 2016.

#10: Morning Musume - Sukatto My Heart

#9: Juice=Juice - Choice & Chance

#8: Morning Musume - Seishun Kozou ga Naiteiru

#7: Kobushi Factory - Survivor

#6: Morning Musume - Yuugure wa Ameagari

#5: Angerme - Nana Korobi Yaoki

#4: Angerme - Marionette 37C

#3: Berryz Kobo - Love Together!

#2: Morning Musume - Oh My Wish!

#1: Tsubaki Factory - Seishun Manmannaka!

Enjoy! What are your favorite H!P songs of the year?

25 Days Of Christmas Countdown Day #10: Top Angerme Songs

Of course this includes S/mileage as well lol. Angerme's had an okay year I guess. I feel like I'm in the minority in that I don't think Angerme's been all that mindblowing this year as everyone keeps saying (to be honest H!P in general has been on a downturn). They haven't released anything bad (except maybe Desugita....there's only so much shouty attempts at "singing" a "metal" song that I can take before turning it off), but nothing beyond one or two songs have been amazing in my opinion.

#10: Samui ne (2012)

#9: Marionette 37C (2015)

#8: Suki yo, Junjou Hankouki (2012)

#7: Mystery Night (2014)

#6: Smile Bijin (2010)

#5: Uchouten Love (2011)

#4: Shin Nippon no Susume! (2013)

#3: Yumemiru 15 (2010)

#2: Nana Korobi Yaoki (2015)

#1: Chikyuu wa Kyou mo Ai wo Hagukumu (2014)

Enjoy! What's your opinion on Angerme this year?

Music Discovery Mondays (August 10, 2015)

Track #1: Ands - Ttan tta da!

It is very very rare anymore for me to find a new super unknown kpop group that I like a song for. While K-pop in general has been truly much better this year than the past two, the new unknown groups still aren't standing out like they used to. Which is why I was very surprised when I heard this song in a music countdown from a YouTuber I subscribe to. Unforuntely, I don't really know anything about the group. I honestly don't even know if I have the track name 100% right. Their name makes it nearly impossible to find anything in English, and I don't understand Korean well enough to go digging through Korean webpages. If anyone does know anything about them, please comment! The song is a K-pop EDM track that strongly resembles the style that T-ara had been doing with Sugar Free.

Track #2: S/mileage - Smile Bijin

This song was the B-side to S/mileage's second major label single, Ganbaranakutemo Eenende. I chose to put this song up because of it's striking difference in style compared to their other songs from their early career. Instead of being over the top cutesy with high pitched vocals, it sounds a lot like something early C-ute would have done. It's certainly not a song to look over in their discography.

Track #3: Gangkiz - Tonight

Gangkiz was a K-pop group that debuted in 2012 under the same company as T-ara. Unforuntely, they did not last past their first release and disbanded. I'm uncertain how much attention they actually received when they released their only mini album, but I remember when I came across this song in particular. I hadn't cared for their title track and was floored by this track after I had practically written off the group. It's unfortunate that they never were able to release anything else. The song is a electro-tinged midtempo track.

Enjoy!

Song Recommendations (June 25, 2015 Edition)

I've been too busy this past week to write anything up, so I figured that I would do another recommendation post since they are quick & easy.

Angerme - Nana Korobi Ya Oki

I never believed that they'd be able to surpass Chikyuu for me, but this is coming really close. Angerme has just been the star of H!P for 2015.

Infinite - Dilemma

Dear K-pop companies, you can have your artists release stuff like this in Japan but not Korea? This is quality right here.

So Yumi - Shake Me Up

I find it funny how the Kpop/trot songs are the ones I'm liking from Kpop this year. More of this style please and less of whatever Kpop thinks it's trying to do.

Colette Carr - Static

I love her music so much. This is stylistically different than the Skitzo album, but I really love this. So happy to finally have new music from her. It's also free on iTunes this week! Pick it up for the low price of free if you enjoy! (And check out her other stuff too :))

Enjoy!

Hello! Project Ranking May 2015 [Warning: Long Post]

So I'm currently avoiding doing a paper and I thought this would be fun. I've seen a lot of people do their rankings on their favorite members and they're always so interesting to me so I figured I'll do one too. I'll be doing a 48G one too but that will take FOREVER for me and I don't have the time to do it at the moment. I can't rank the whole project together so I'll rank the groups only. This post will be super long cause H!P has really boomed recently. Just a warning.

Morning Musume

#1. Kanon Suzuki

--I don't really know what I like about Kanon. Something about her caught my eye a few years ago and I've really loved her ever since.

#2. Masaki Sato

--There was a time when Masaki would be among my lower ranked girls, but over the past year she just seems to be getting more and more talented. I've been very impressed.

#3. Sakura Oda

--Her voice is stellar and she just gets prettier and prettier each single.

#4. Riho Sayashi

--I remember when I couldn't stand Riho. When I saw the Only You video, I was so angry that she was getting all of these lines and I saw her as a threat to Reina (who I was a HUGE fan of xD). Now, she really stands out and I can see why she's the ace. Her vocals have been improving too.

#5. Ayumi Ishida

--Another girl that has really been standing out to me lately. The H!P version of Seishun really put a nice spotlight on her.

#6. Haruka Kudo

--This girl is truly gorgeous and I don't know why she's not a front girl. Her voice is good too.

#7. Akane Haga

--She was my least favorite 12th gen but then the new single happened. She really shines and I'm looking forward to her future in the group.

#8. Miki Nonoka

--She can speak English! Haha, that's not why I like her though. Her vocals seem pretty good for a newbie.

#9. Maria Makino

--Maria used to be my favorite KSS but she doesn't seem to stand out in MM that much. It'll be interesting to see how she is in future releases.

#10. Haruna Iikubo

--I don't dislike Haruna, I just very indifferent to her. She's improved a lot since debut though.

#11. Mizuki Fukumura

--Much like Haruna, I'm just indifferent to her.

#12. Haruna Ogata

--She's very pretty, but can't sing at all (yet, she could improve). I think she's the least stand out of the 12th gen to me.

#12. Erina Ikuta

--I don't hate her. I don't dislike her. I just can't see anything special about her. She's just there to me.

C-ute

#1. Airi Suzuki

--The best voice in all of H!P. Absolutely a stellar performer. And she joined when she was 8. It's just incredible.

#2. Chisato Okai

--Another incredible talent.

#3. Saki Nakajima

--Indifferent

#4. Mai Hagiwara

--Indifferent

#5. Maimi Yajima

--Probably the only girl in all of H!P I actively dislike. I don't hate her and I'm glad that she's had this opportunity, but I can't stand her voice. It's just absolutely awful in my opinion and I don't understand how she gets praise for it.

Angerme

#1. Meimi Tamura

--The second best voice in all of H!P. In fact, give her a year or so and she'll probably surpass Airi for me.

#2. Mizuki Murota

--Great vocals and she immediately caught my eye when Taiki Bansei was released. Love her.

#3. Ayaka Wada

--I may have mentioned before that I used to dislike her and grew to like her but I can't remember. She really has that spark that people look for in performers.

#4. Kanon Fukuda

--She's got really great vocals

#5. Akari Takeuchi

--Used to be my favorite 2nd gen. Personally, I've felt that her vocals keep getting worse, but I still keep my eye on her.

#6. Rikako Sasaki

--I understand the hype from some people, but I'm still unsure on how I feel about her at the moment.

#7. Kana Nakanishi

Indifferent

#8. Rina Katsuta

Indifferent

#9. Maho Aikawa

--She was so awkward in their new single (more so than MM's newbies...and she was a KSS). I'm interested to see how she grows but I'm not sure if she was ready to debut.

Juice=Juice

#1. Karin Miyamoto

--Used to really dislike her, but over this year she's really stood out to me.

#2. Akari Uemura

--Has really blown me away with her improvement.

#3. Sayuki Takagi

--Used to be my favorite, but like with Akari Takeuchi I feel like instead of improving she's getting worse.

#4. Yuka Miyazaki

--She was so adorably awkward at first, but now she's so confident. I love how she's grown.

#5. Tomoko Kanazawa

--Kind of another Maimi situation. Her vocals just don't do it for me. I recognize that she can actually sing though.

Country Girls

#1. Risa Yamaki

--I liked her in KSS and still really like her here.

#2. Manaka Inaba

--I don't totally understand why she was added to such a cutesy group, but she still stands out.

#3. Uta Shimamura

--She seems to be everyone's favorite. She's adorable, but she hasn't been around long enough for me to have a full opinion.

#4. Mai Ozeki

--Indifferent

#5. Chisaki Morito

--Indifferent

#6. Momoko Tsugunaga

--Didn't like Momoko in Berryz, really don't like her here. She'd be better off doing solo variety stuff.

Kobushi Factory

#1. Minami Nomura

--I was really indifferent to her during her whole time in KSS, but after seeing the Nen ni wa Nen performance on The Girls Live she just outshined everyone else.

#2. Rei Inoue

--Never had a strong opinion since she was very new, but wow her voice. She could be really amazing in the future.

#3. Ayaka Hirose

--Seems to have a really strong voice. Will keep my eye on her.

#4. Rio Fujii

--Indifferent

#5. Natsumi Taguchi

--Indifferent

#6. Sakurako Wada

--Indifferent

#7. Ayano Hamaura

--Indifferent

#8. Rena Ogawa

--Never really liked her in the KSS. I personally think she's the weakest link in Kobushi, but who knows where she'll be in a couple years.

Tsubaki Factory

#1. Kisora Niinuma

--Tsubaki is still SUPER new, so it's difficult to rank them, but I've liked Kisora since KSS and I ADORE her name. Like, I want to name my first daughter 'Kisora' type of adore her name.

#2. Yumeno Kishimoto

--Again, really liked her in KSS. Super excited she gets to debut.

#3. Kiki Asakura

--Girl's got a heck of a stage presence. Really interested to see her growth.

#4-6. Riko Yamagishi, Risa Ogata, Ami Tanimoto

--I don't even have enough of an opinion of these three to rank them in any sort of order. In the future I'll know more.

Kenshuusei

--I won't rank them all, but I'll rank my top 5.

#1. Musubu Funaki

--I know she's still young, but DEBUT HER ALREADY AKLSJADKJHKAJSDHASKDH. I think she might be my favorite H!P member ever. She's got everything.

#2. Ruru Danbara

--Phenomenal voice. Absolutely phenomenal.

#3. Kizuki Horie

--Was indifferent to her, but her Recital test performance blew me away. Excited to see her progress in the future.

#4. Hikaru Inoue

--Everyone else heard her performance from the Recital right? I was stunned.

#5. Kurumi Takase

--Really starting to take a liking to her.

Everyone else

--Either too new or I'm just indifferent to them.

So that's my ranking! Sorry for the ridiculously long post. So who's everyones' favorites? I'd love to know! Post a comment if you'd like :)

S/mileage - Samui ne.

I'm so incredibly tired so this might be a very unintelligible post....just a warning. I'm trying to not fall asleep so I'm hoping that this will help, although staring at the white screen is making it worse lol. Can you believe that in November this single will be three years old already? I can't. It's insane. I still kind of miss the name S/mileage. I've gotten very used to calling them by Angerme now though, especially because I pronounce it as "Ange-lume" even though I know that's not correct. I just think it sounds pretty that way.

I used to really dislike this song. I was upset that the music sounded so awesome but the way they were singing ruined it for me. It's no secret that high pitched vocals really annoy me. It's still a little difficult to listen to the song because of the way that they sing, but I like it now. The reason for the turn around? I really started to like Ayaka. I don't know why, but one day I just noticed her & was like "Woah she's such a great asset to the group!" and now she's my second favorite member lol. I've also noticed a major improvement in her vocals (or at least a change in the way she sings) in the past few years. What is truly attractive about the song is the electro beats through it, especially in the dance break bridge. It's so incredible. Probably one of my favorite Tsunku productions. The music video is really nice as well. The only thing I dislike about it is that weird effect with the camera....I can't really explain it but it looks like it's...jumpy? in some parts. Like imagine when you put a VHS on rewind and sometimes the picture flickers...like that....if anyone reading this still knows what VHS tapes are. I'm not sure if it's just a glitch in the upload or if it was intentional, but it's bothersome. 5/5.

The coupling track for this single is Watashi, Choito Kawaii Urabanchou. It translates to "I'm a slightly cute, gang leader in secret" (according to Generasia), and I just find that so adorable. I love that for a title so much. Not the biggest fan of the song itself unfortunately. It's very high energy and cute. It's like a more mediocre Uchouten Love. Though seeing as how it's an H!P song I'll probably end up loving it at some point. It always seems to happen. 3.5/5.

Even with my original hatred of the song, this is now one of my favorite S/mileage singles. I would like if H!P would do a song like this again sometime. 4/5.

S/mileage - Aa, Susukino/Chikyuu wa Kyou mo Ai wo Hagukumu

More S/mileage! Really excited to talk about this one because it contains my all time favorite S/mileage song. This is also their final release as S/mileage, as they now go by Angerme and have added three members.

The first A-side of the single is Aa, Susukino. I didn't think much of this song at first. It wasn't as interesting as the other H!P songs coming out around the same time to me. Listening to it more has made me like it though. It sounds like the perfect mix of Platinum Era Musume and the new EDM direction of H!P. I'd be okay with this style of music being used more. Still not fond of the talking bits (mainly because I just don't care for the break in singing like that in any song), but it's not as disjointed as some other songs. I have to give H!P major props for this song's video. It's nothing more than the usual dance shot & closeups, but the setting of the song was just perfect. Can't imagine how expensive it has to be to rent out an airport for a video shooting. It goes to show that even the most conventional videos can be impressive with the proper setting. 4.5/5.

Aa Susukino MV:

The secondary A-side is Chikyuu wa Kyou mo Ai wo Hagukumu. Aka the best song S/mileage ever did....perhaps one of the best H!P songs ever. Last year was ridiculously strong for the H!P groups in terms of musical quality. MM seemed to be the only group that didn't have that besides their album & Toki Sora. This is J-pop-EDM done right. I really like the music video for this too. It has a very Mass Effect feel to it....probably just because I'm writing this while playing the third one & the globe lights remind me of the star in the system I was just in xD. Joking aside, this video made me like Ayaka. I never hated her, but I couldn't stand her voice so I tried to ignore her existence. She's so gorgeous and charismatic in this video though. It's hard to not focus on her. Not to mention that I've really seen an improvement in her vocals recently too. 5/5.

Chikyuu wa Kyou mo Ai wo Hagukumu MV:

So far, this is definitely my favorite release from S/mileage/Angerme. The release seems like it would work for the majority of H!P fans, something a little more Platinum era & something a little more EDM. I hope that they'll do another release like this in the future, although now that they're Angerme I don't know what direction they'll be headed in. If they stay in the Taiki Bansei/Otome route then they're good. 4.5/5.

S/mileage - Atarashii Watashi ni Nare!/Yattaruchan

I'm fairly certain that this was one of the releases that I talked about the last time I had a blog. Still wish I wouldn't have deleted it...then I wouldn't have to type this all over again. Oh well. This is their 18th single and was released in 2013.

The first A-side is Atarashii Watashi ni Nare!. To me this single always represents a clear break in their discography. It comes right after their second album and is along the new mature, electro-ish track that H!P was headed in in 2013. S/mileage was probably my least favorite H!P group until the release of their second album. I wasn't into the more "idol-y" songs that they put out except for a few so I just didn't pay much attention to them. After they started releasing music like this, I started paying more attention. Out of all their "mature" songs, I'd say this one has the most old S/mileage feel to it. I'm not too fond of the music video for this song though. The shadowy shots aren't done very well, the outfits are meh at best, and the set is just white. It's a little hard to look at because of how bright it is. A little splash of color (or at the very least a curtain...) would have made it better. I do enjoy the shots of them holding the lyrics and the dance though. 4/5.

Atarashii Watashi ni Nare MV:

The second A-side is Yattaruchan. This is one of those crazy genki S/mileage tracks, much like Yume Miru & Uchouten Love. If you're going to do a crazy idol song, this is how you do it and make it good. Also, Meimi's voice.....WOW. I say it everytime she sings in a song, but HER VOICE. She's easily one of the best vocalists in H!P, maybe even the best....not sure if Airi beat her or not. Would need to hear them sing together in a concert. The video is also a perfect example of a good video done on a low budget/H!P normal sets. It's not so much the set as it is what you do with the set. Atarashii is the prime example of what not to do, this is a good example of what exactly you should do. The girls shine in this video. 5/5.

Yattaruchan MV:

S/mileage really has improved since this single. It's a great single and yet the ones they released after this are even better. It'll be interested to see how Angerme plays out. Taiki & Otome were fantastic starts so I hope they can keep that momentum. I don't want to see them end up sadly generic or sounding too much like non-H!P idols. That takes all the fun out of H!P. 4.5/5.

Song Recomendations (February 4, 2015 Edition)

So trying something new here as I figure that I'll never be able to keep up with those top 10 lists. I'm almost always listening to music and I always discover new things that I love so I figured that I might as well share some because by the time I'd get to doing actual reviews they'll be quite old. So here's what I've been loving the past few days!

Jolin Tsai - I'm Not Yours (ft. Namie Amuro):

This song is perfect! So ridiculously catchy and the attitude is amazing. There's some unfortunate English pronunciation (particularly from Namie), but for me it's easy to look past.

Angerme (S/mileage) - Taiki Bansei:

Angerme (S/mileage) - Otome no Gyakushuu:

Kind of cheating because there's two Angerme songs, but their new single came out today so please support them!

Cupitron - Battery:

Not many songs that I hear from indie idols interest me. This one is really wonderful though. Electronic-ish even. I swear that the red girl looks like Sayumi Michishige mixed with Nana Yamada, the green one looks like Aika Mitsui, and the blue one looks kind of like Yuu Kikkawa to me.

And that's pretty much it! I hope you enjoy checking out these songs!