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 #12: Top C-ute

This is supposed to be about C-ute, but just a quick aside: Congrats to the new Musume members! I had a feeling that Yokoyama would get in because of the random buzz around her that seemed to crop up overnight. She's very pretty and I hope that she has a good voice to accompany that. As for Kaede....well. I'm very happy that she's getting to realize her dream and got to join the group with the most opportunities. I truly hope that she melds in well and is a good asset for Musume. The members both are older which is a shock (and it feels like there will be new younger members added next year too because of it) and they both fit the current mature image of MM. Congrats again to them & I can't wait to see their debut!

As for C-ute. I sooooo knew it. I KNEW they would announce their disbandment this year. Honestly, it's time and I couldn't be happier that they're leaving. That sounds awful as I do like them, but H!P needs to complete it's transition to the new H!P and pass the torch to the new members and groups. Now there's just Ayaka Wada who is pre-2010 (if you don't count Aika who doesn't do anything anyway.). I fully predict that Ayaka will announce next year as well. Maybe not graduate, but definitely announce.

As for C-ute's music this year, outside of Mugen Climax (which was such a return to form for them), nothing was outstanding at all. Jinsei wa Step was fun & even though I've mainly ignored Summer Wind, I'm coming around to it. Naze Hito was just bad & I don't even remember what the other Mugen Climax single songs sound like so that's not a good sign. I guess I can say they outdid Angerme this year and maybe Kobushi, but I'm not sure on my feelings on that. Hopefully their final single will be an awesome goodbye for them. I'm also expecting a single/B-side collection like Berryz. I will be so incredibly upset if they don't do that. I want their singles/B-sides but I don't want to have to buy all of the singles I don't have to do so. I'm running out of room on my display shelf.

#10

Mugen Climax (2016) (NEW)

#9

Kiss Me Aishiteru (2011) (-2)

#8

Kanashiki Heaven (2012; Aitai Aitai na) (-3)

#7

Crazy Kanzen na Otona (2013) (+2)

#6

Midnight Temptation (2011; Chou Wonderful 6) (-)

#5

Please, Love Me More! (2013; Tokai no Hitorigurashi) (+3)

#4

Aitai Aitai Aitai na (2012) (-2)

#3

Adam to Eve no Dilemma (2013) (+1)

#2

Tokaikko Junjou (2007) (+1)

#1

I Miss You (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 #11: Top C-ute Songs

Ah, finals week is over for me!! Congrats to those of us who made it through & good luck to those who have them coming up!! C-ute has probably been the most blah of all the H!P groups this year. Their last single wasn't for me at all & I rarely listen to anything from their other single this year. I'm hoping their album is cool but what I've heard so far is just more blah.

#10: Forever Love (2008)

#9: Crazy Kanzen na Otona (2013)

#8: Please, Love Me More (2013)

#7: Kiss Me Aishiteru (2011)

#6: Midnight Temptation (2011)

#5: Kanashiki Heaven (2012)

#4: Adam to Eve no Dilemma (2013)

#3: Tokaikko Junjou (2007)

#2: Aitai Aitai Aitai na (2012)

#1: I Miss You (2014)

Enjoy! What are your thoughts on C-ute this year? Enjoying the new direction or no?

C-ute - The Power/Kanashiki Heaven

This is one of the more recent C-ute singles that I tend to forget exist. I even forgot it was a double A-side until I looked it up. It still really bothers me that they took a 3 year old B-side and made it part of the new single. It doesn't matter if it's popular at concerts or not. You know who goes to concerts? Fans. You know who buys H!P singles? Fans. I'd argue there's very little acknowledgment from the public at large about the newest H!P releases. You never really see H!P singles doing anything digitally (which is more indicative of public opinion than the Oricon chart). Fans would've already owned Kanashiki Heaven. If they were so desperate to give Kanashiki Heaven a video, they should've just done it for the next C-ute MV compliation as a bonus.

The first of the two A-sides is The Power. I know I mentioned that I forget that this single exists, but this is also one of my most played C-ute songs. You're probably wondering how that's not contradictory. I forget that this song is part of a single from 2014 and I tend to associate it with the time when 8 Queen of Jpop came out because I try to forget that the single version of Kanashiki Heaven ever happened lol. I know that people seemed to be disappointed with this single, but I really enjoy it. It came after two very lackluster singles from them and was such a breath of fresh air. I love the feel of the entire song. To me, it's a subdued (and more J-poppy) version of Momoiro Clover Z's Gounn. The music video isn't one of my favorites of theirs, but it's a good video for H!P. You can tell they were trying to come up with new ideas (even if it does look like Gounn inspired it). I don't like it because I find the camerawork really jerky and distracting. It's nice that they were trying to do something different, but the way it was shot drives me crazy. 5/5.

The second A-side is the single version of Kanashiki Heaven. I LOVE the original Kanashiki Heaven. It's one of the best H!P songs of all time in my opinion. Redoing it was the worst idea the company could have done. If anything, an "updated" version as a B-side would have been tolerable, but to "update" it and use it as a single is a crime. Ok, yeah. I'm overreacting a bit. The new version isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be because they didn't change a whole lot. They could get rid of the Latin parts & the annoying "la la la"s though. Kanashiki in this version is still good, but the original is miles better. The great thing about this song is the Airi/Chisato lead with no Maimi. I'd rather listen to a Mai lead song than a Maimi led song. The video is better than the one for The Power. The scenery is very pretty and the camera shots aren't as bad. The only thing I don't get though is the pole dancing. It's not that I have a problem with it, it's just that it's so out of place for a song like this. They should've used it in Crazy Kanzen na Otona or a similar song. It would've made sense and been cool there, but it doesn't fit for this song. 3/5. [Original: 5/5.]

While as a complete package the single is slightly disappointing, if you just look at the one new song from the single, it was a welcome change from the previous two singles during this time. I still recommend searching out the original Kanashiki over this though. 4/5.

C-ute - Tokai no Hitorigurashi/Ai tte Motto Zanshin

Pretty sure I reviewed this one way back on my old blog. Still mad at myself for not at least saving what I had written....cause now I have to do it all over again lol.

The first of the two A-side is Tokai no Hitorigurashi. I've never been a huge fan of this song. It really sounds like a retooled The Matenrou Show. This single also was a disappointment because it came right after the incredible Kanashiki/Adam to Eve. The music video is pretty good though. This single is the point where it seems like H!P started to experiment with C-ute's videos. The set is awesome and the girls look stunning. 3.5/5.

The second A-side is Ai tte Motto Zanshin. Much like Tokai, this song isn't one of their better ones. I only find it slightly better than Tokai because of its verses. The verses are pretty epic. Which is why it's so sad that the chorus is different. It's a really jarring transition from the verses to the chorus. Usually when Tsunku does weirdly structured songs it works for me, but this just is a little too different in style between the two parts to me. It's like the song is trying to be funky (the beat in the beginning & bridge), mature pop/rock-dance (verses), and idol pop (chorus) all at the same time. I appreciate that they were attempting a new location with the video, but dancing in a run down building singing about love is a bit strange. The outfits are cute though. 3.5/5.

The first B-side is Please Love Me More. Where the title songs fail to impress, the B-sides pick up the slack. Of all of the songs on this song, this should have been a title track. It showcases their mature image and isn't such a dramatic departure from Crazy Kanzen no Otona or Adam to Eve. It's an improvement over those styles. Another example of my belief that Tsunku really learned how to make some fantastic EDM flavored tracks. Looking back at One Two Three or Renai Hunter (even though I love that song to death), they seem so amateur compared to a song like this. 5/5.

The second B-side is Yuuwaku no Kyuujitsu. Can we all just take a moment to appreciate how amazing that keyboard line is in that runs through the song? Seriously. The people in charge of deciding the title tracks got it all wrong with this release. This one isn't as amazing as Please Love Me More, but it's still really great. Probably my favorite B-sides C-ute has ever done. My only issue is that the chorus feels to bright compared to the verses. Not as extreme as with Ai tte, but still throws the song off a bit. 4.5/5.

The promoted songs of this single are disappointing, but the B-sides drag this release up to something that people should take notice of. 4/5.

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 :)

C-ute - The Middle Management/GamushaLife/Tsugi no Kado wo Magare

Long gone are the days where C-ute was my least favorite Hello! Project group. I think I love each group equally now to be honest. It's actually crazy to know that C-ute is now the older group and there are THREE new groups in the project. I remember when C-ute was selling really poorly and I remember thinking that they would be gone within the next couple years. It's pretty amazing how strong they're going now. Even though I'm sure that C-ute's days in H!P are numbered (I'm predicting 2016 announcement with 2017 graduation), I also have a strong feeling that C-ute will continue as a girl group outside of idoldom. I don't see in any of them the desire to quit like I saw in Berryz.

This is C-ute's current single and first single of 2015.

The main A-side is The Middle Management. I know people are getting tired of EDMProject, but gosh keep them coming for me. H!P is the most interesting thing out there in music at the moment in my opinion. I really love the beginning instrumental of the song. It catches the attention of the listener immediately. I was slightly worried about have western composers/arrangers do the track (not because I dislike Western music, just because I was afraid of it being a really radical departure from the H!P I know), but if you told me that Tsunku composed this track I'd totally believe it. It sounds like something he do. The music video is really great. Proof that to have a quality video you don't have to go all "Bokutachi wa Tatakawanai" (Although I LOVE that video so much...I'll talk about it when the single is released xD) to have something interesting. It's not much different than your typical H!P video, but the shots that acted like they were coworkers having dinner together really made the video. 5/5.

The Middle Management MV:

The second A-side is GamushaLife. I have really mixed feelings on this song. On one hand, it's kind of catchy and has a really feel good mood to it. On the other hand, it sounds like a really generic idol track and C-ute is so far past that that it's annoying they were given it. The only real difference musically between the generic idol tracks and this is that there is a nice bass line. I'm torn on if I like it or not. It's the weakest song of the single. The music video is pretty simple but I love the splash of colors behind them. It's so pretty. 3.5/5.

GamushaLife MV:

The final A-side is Tsugi no Kado wo Magare. This one is done by Takui. When I first heard it, I was really disappointed. I had loved Taiki Bansei and this seemed like such a step down. I had figured that my approval of Takui doing H!P needed retracted, but after I played this in the car, I realized how amazing it is. It's a sing at the top of your lungs kind of song and C-ute's vocals compliment it wonderfully. The music video is probably my least favorite of the three, but the the blue/black colors are so pretty to me. It was an interesting choice to use Kenshuusei in the dance though. As much as I'm glad that they got a chance to do something official, it also felt unnecessary. 5/5.

Tsugi no Kado wo Magare MV:

All in all, this is a pretty good single. Management & Tsugi are outstanding and GamushaLife is...well....it's kind of catchy. I'll give it that. For their next single/album, I'd like to see a mix of Management style [EDM] & Tsugi style [the more mature/sing a long/rock-ish type]. I think the styles fit together perfectly. 4/5.

C-ute - Meguru Koi no Kisetsu

I was so positive I did a post on this before. I'm still confused that I didn't see it while looking back. I know I couldn't have done it on the old blog because I didn't own the CD then. I don't know....well, if for some reason I'm THAT tired that I completely missed it even after searching the title and turning up no results, just tell me & I'll delete one.

I believe I've mentioned before how to me early C-ute was very average. Most of their songs from their early stage are meh, but this one is an exception. It's really not one of the kinds of songs I would attach to, but the chorus is so catchy that it's hard not to love it. Sometimes I just sing the song title in my head because it's that much of an earworm. It'a also crazy how good Airi's voice is even back then. H!P really struck talent gold with her. And Maimi's annoying voice wasn't that difficult to listen to back then! I don't dislike Maimi, but her vocals are grating. She has a very unpleasant tone and every live I've seen of them she seems very off on the notes she's supposed to hit. With the video, I'm surprised that people complain about the videos we get NOW. At least they're attempting to do different sets and colors and other stuff, but this video is pretty much just them dancing in front of badly painted backdrops in a white room. I guess you could kind of argue that the different props and stuff back then change the feel of the video, but at least nowadays the videos don't look extremely tacky. 4.5/5.

The coupling track for this single is Bishoujo Shinri. For a B-side back then, this is really an incredible track. Maybe that's why I was so confused about writing this up before because I tend to never listen to the B-sides of older H!P singles unless I'm writing a review for them. But this song is very awesome. I'm not really sure how to describe it, but the music reminds me a lot of their newer music. You could take this song, put it on an album in 2015 with updated vocals and it'd still fit their image. 5/5.

For an early C-ute single, this is a pretty stellar package. A very catchy A-side and an incredible B-side as a compliment. 4.5/5.

Song Recommendations (March 25, 2015 Edition)

It's been awhile since I've done one of these. It's been a not very good week for me so I figured doing one of these would cheer me up a bit and I hope that anyone who reads this can find a new song to make them happy :D

Crayon Pop - FM

This is just a dance shot for their new song as the MV isn't out yet, but wow I was really impressed with this song. I've liked Crayon Pop since before Bar Bar Bar and had been excited to see them get a lot of attention and was ready to see what they'd do next. Then they released Uh-ee. I find that song so bland I was very disappointed. This song makes them exciting again.

Krewella - Somewhere To Run

I love them. I do. So much. However, I've been unsure how their new music was going to go since the guy left, but this is reassuring. It's not as good as anything on their first album, but it makes me less nervous about the direction of the new album.

C-ute - The Middle Management ~Josei Chuukan Kanrishoku~

This really is the only good song from C-ute's new single tbh. Tsugi no Kado wo Magare is ok and GamushaLife is pretty much your generic idol track that you're pretty sure you've heard the 48s do 100 times. I don't like this Tsunku-less H!P....

Orange Caramel - The Gangnam Avenue

Kind of an older song (from last year), but this is such a gem in Orange Caramel's discography.

Up Up Girls - Bijo no Yajuu (Beast of Beauty)

Gosh this song. THIS FREAKING SONG. Why had I never paid attention to UUG before...

Predia - Na mo Naki Shiroi Hana wa Kie Iku

Such a wonderful song. They're a group I really need to look further into.

DIA - Paradise

This song is so beautiful. I don't know why I never knew it before. It actually made me cry when I watched it with the translation up. Gorgeous.

Country Girls - Itoshikutte Gomen ne

I usually don't like this amount of cutesy but I adore the retro feel of the song.

Fall Out Boy - Fourth Of July

Thought I'd end with this. Absolutely blew me away when I heard the album. Can't wait to do a full review on this CD

Enjoy!

℃-ute - Lalala Shiawase no Uta

Our journey through C-ute's earlier material continues! Haha.

Really not a big fan of this song. Probably the weakest of their singles by this point. The lalala's are kind of catchy but it's not enough to distract from the rather boring feeling in the rest of the song. As for the video....I don't think we have any right to complain about the videos nowadays because ouch this video. The dance is silly, the camerawork/editing looks bad (or maybe it's just the quality but still), and who in their right mind thought those outfits were ok? They're hideous. I'm so sorry those girls had to wear them. 3/5.

Lalala Shiawase no Uta MV:

The coupling track for this single is Saikoukyuu no Enjoy Girls. Awkward title with those English words but whatever. Oh this should have been the title song. I really like this. Reminds me a lot of ZE:A's Mazeltov though with the naming of the days. 4/5.

Saikoukyuu no Enjoy Girls (Audio Only):

Not the greatest single, but at least the B-side is really fun. 3.5/5.

Dance Or Die's Top Songs of November

So I decided to try something else new. A top 10 (or however many songs pique my interest) list of songs in all genres for each month and at the end of the year I'll do a top 10 list of J-Pop, K-pop, and others, and then a top 20 list of all of them combined. So we'll see how this goes. Not all of the songs on my lists will have reviews yet. Just click on the song titles to check out the songs.

The monthly lists are songs officially released for sale in that month. Dates after the song is the date of release.

#1: I Miss You - C-ute (Nov. 19)

#2: Kibouteki Refrain - AKB48 (Nov. 26)

#3: The Future - C-ute (Nov. 19)

#4: Froot - Marina & The Diamonds (Nov. 11)

#5: The Hanging Tree - Jennifer Lawrence/James Newton Howard (Nov. 24)

#6: Play - Jolin Tsai (Nov. 21)

#7: Romance wo Katatte - Berryz Kobo (Nov. 12)

I admit that I really REALLY struggled trying to come up with 10 songs released this month that I thought were worth a mention. I figured I'd be at least one short considering how busy I've been this month but THREE short?! Was November really that bad for songs or is it just me? Now I haven't listened to all of Jolin's album yet so I'm sure there's more awesome songs on that. AKB's release beyond the title song isn't all that great so nothing else from there was really worth a top 10 placement. Also, I didn't find any K-pop this month interesting from groups that I know (although K-pop has been pretty bad for the past two years anyway in my opinion, but usually there's at least one thing.) So I encourage you to check out the songs and if you know of any songs that were released by anyone in the month of November that you love, please leave me a comment! I'd love to check out something that I might have never heard of before! Or even give something another chance xD :)

℃-ute - Tokkaiko Junjou

See this post for more background on the group if you've never heard of them.

So the good thing about when I talk about a group's music more than once is I won't do the intro paragraphs again so the posts won't always be such a huge wall of text lol.

Tokaikko Junjou is C-ute's third major single and was released in 2007. For me, this is C-ute's first great song. I had said in my first post about C-ute that when C-ute releases great music, it's REALLY great. Tokkaiko Junjou is a fantastic song. It's actually sad that their next great song wouldn't be until 2011 with Kiss Me Aishiteru. The only thing I don't really care for in the song is Maimi. Yes, I do not like her. It's not her I dislike, it's her voice. It just annoys me so much. I'm very glad that the group was more centered around Airi's vocals as even when she was this young she was very good. Maybe that's the reason I don't care for the vast majority of C-ute's early singles....because it was before Chisato was a main vocal and it was pretty much just Airi & Maimi leads. For the video, it's just so much better than their other singles released during this year. The dance shot still looks kind of poorly shot, but at least there's no horrendous costumes or bad sets. In fact, the setting and the "storyline" of the music video is very nice.

Tokkaiko Junjou MV:

The single's B-side is Shiritsu Kyougaku. I admit I'm really disappointed in the song. Today is actually the very first time I heard it as I just received my copy of the single (and I'm just WAY too lazy/busy to listen to all of their B-sides on YouTube), and I was really hoping for a song that would be cool like the title track. I don't understand why I was hoping for that though. One thing I've noticed with H!P B-sides from the early years of the H!P kids groups was that they just aren't very good. Like at all. It seems like they're all just filler (well....I guess that's what B-sides are but still....their newer B-sides just seem so much better.) Maybe I just dislike the earlier B-sides because they tend to be slower than the title tracks and the vocals are just......ok. I always do have to remind myself that even though these girls are in their early 20s (besides Mai) now, in 2007, they were in their early teens so of course their voices wouldn't be at the level they are now. I guess that's a bit of the difficulty of not knowing a group from the beginning.

Shiritsu Kyougaku (audio only):

The title track of the release is easily a 5/5. The release as a whole is closer to a 3.5/5. Tokkaiko is amazing, but the B-side is really boring and just drags on. Just a side note: if any of these YouTube videos ever go down for any reason, just comment on the post and let me know so I can either find another video or upload the track myself. Thanks & enjoy the music!

℃-ute - Sakura Chirari

I know this single is really old, but I decided that whenever I receive any CD I might as well blog about the songs, since it's probably the only way I'd post with any regularity.

C-ute is a Japanese girl group that was formed in 2006 as part of Hello! Project. Today, they are currently comprised of five members: Maimi Yajima, Saki Nakajima, Airi Suzuki, Chisato Okai, and Mai Hagiwara. Maimi was also recently named the new leader of Hello! Project after Sayumi Michishige (from Morning Musume) graduates at the end of November. So congrats to her! When this single was released, however, C-ute had seven members. Along with the current five members, Erika Umeda and Kanna Arihara were also members until 2009. Sakura Chirari was released in February of 2007 as C-ute's first major label single. Before this release, they had four indies singles.

I have to admit that up until recently I was not a fan of C-ute. They released some good songs, but I never cared to check out any of their older material. Even when I did hear some of their older songs nothing really caught my attention. Personally, I think out the of current Hello! Project acts, C-ute has the weakest early singles. There's some good ones here and there, but as a whole, up until 2013 their music was weak to me. I really dislike how average the majority of their early singles are because when C-ute releases good songs, the songs are easily some of the best releases in Hello! Project history. Tokkaiko Junjou, Kiss Me Ashiteru, Aitai Aitai Aitai na, and a lot of their recent material are some of the best Japanese songs of all time for me.

Now I became a fan of Hello! Project in 2012, after I had been a fan of Morning Musume for a couple years before that, so I never experienced this song when it was released. When I first heard it, I was listening to a lot of Hello! Project songs to understand more about their history (I was using past concert setlists off of the Hello! Project Wikia for this xD It's actually a pretty good way for a new fan to get acquainted with the main songs of all the groups.) and I admit I did not care for it all that much. I became a fan of Hello! Project mainly for the EDM flavored songs they had begun to put out so this song just seemed like a kooky J-pop song that I had no interest in. Fast forward two years and I really like it. I guess the main difference is that I've really come to appreciate C-ute as opposed to 2012 where to me they were just "that other group that H!P has".

As for the song itself, it's catchy and cute but I am very glad that Hello! Project has gone in a much different direction 7 years later. C-ute's also grown up a lot too. I mean, when watching the video for the first time I couldn't believe how little they were and how much they've grown now. It must've been really cool to follow them from the start and watch them grow as they've changed quite a bit. Also with the music video, it's just.....not good. I don't understand why people complain about Hello! Project's music videos now when in the past they were SO BAD and SO TACKY xD. The outfits are just terrible. I realize it's a cute, fun song about flower blossoms by a very young group but gosh the outfits just look bad. The second "normal" outfits are so much cuter and would've been better for the entire video. To be honest I'm pretty glad that H!P doesn't do all that many "costumes" for their singles anymore, and when they are all "costume"-like, they are so much better.

Sakura Chirari MV:

The coupling song for this single, Jump, was much better on first listen than Sakura Chirari. However, to me it doesn't have any replay value while Sakura Chirari does. Figure that one out....I'd rather listen to the song I find to be worse xD I'd say that Jump reminds me more of their material from 2008-2010 than their earlier material.

Jump (audio only):

For the title song, I'd give it a 4/5. It's just fun and catchy even if it isn't even remotely one of C-ute's best. For the release as a whole, it would still be a 4/5. Both songs are good, but nothing special. Still, it's great to listen to this single if you are a new fan just for the wow factor of where they were versus where they are now. Enjoy the tracks!