PSY Conquers the West
Lol Nope.
Anyway if you had said to me that PSY would be the one debuting or known in an America I would have laughed my ass off at that. PSY wasn’t even preparing to debut in America. And yet here we are.
I am a casual fan of PSY so I would watch Gangnam Style frequently and I saw the views going up. People on omona were saying that others who have never heard of Kpop were talking about it but I didn’t realize what was going to happen. Until one day. I will never forget it. It was the first time anyone besides me had known about an Asian group without me telling them and that I conversed(I say this because some Asian guy totally heard me playing SNSD on the bus one time and deliberately came over to listen to the SNSD I was playing. YOU SHOULD HAVE TALKED TO ME YOU ASSHOLE. WE COULD HAVE STANNED THEM TOGETHER. YOU COULD HAVE YOONA, TIFFANY, TAEYEON AND SICA. WHO ELSE WOULD BE SO KIND?)with someone.
So cue my over dramatic retelling of a boring ass scene. You should probably skip over this right now if you love yourself. It was a beautiful sunny day. My cousin who lives like 8 hours away had just come over to visit. He had brought his girlfriend. It was my first time meeting her. It was awkward as fuck. We barely looked at each other and talked through our common ground, my cousin. Clearly we are social butterflies. She had left to use the bathroom. See isn’t this such a beautiful story that needs to be shared? I think so. You should be so happy to be graced with my master storytelling. I’m never awkward with my cousin but for some reason it was kind of awkward and we had talked about something and stopped. Cue awkward silence. Since I could feel the awkwardness I diverted my my gaze and stared and the table we were seated at tracing the wood grain with my fingers. So interesting, right? Okay I am getting to it now.
That is when I heard it. My cousin said “Op op” to break the silence but then he spoke talking about some random shit. Now to the normal person this mightn’t mean anything. But to me who is a loser, who has songs constantly stuck in her head, who had Gangnam Style stuck in her head for the last week or so I knew exactly what he was referencing.
I made him backtrack and blurted out “Did you just sing Gangnam Style?! WHAT?!” and he replied yes. We went on to discuss it a bit but mostly talked about how Hyuna is hot. Oh and he didn’t even know about 4minute loool. HYUNA GO SOLO FFS. Now he is sort of a weeaboo(I got him hooked on old quality Perfume and he has got numerous friends and his girlfriend hooked on it.)so it wasn’t that shocking that he knew but still I WAS NOT THE ONE SHOWING HIM IT. Some normal person had actually viewed it and showed Gangnam Style to him and his girlfriend. Oh and btw he also talked about this idiot at his college who loved kpop because the girls were hot and liked some group called “Tara”. lololol
That’s when I knew it would get big. It hit me. Now almost every single person whether or not they are technology inclined knows of it. I’m sure PSY is making bank and even though every one seems to know about it still doesn’t in anyway make him well known.
You see white people by nature are boring as fuck. They have no culture to reference and aren’t oppressed(although they try to make up ridiculous life struggles and are dying to be oppressed) so they resort to doing stupid shit like baking a batch of period blood cookies. No I didn’t make that up. Since they are so boring, they crave a culture to grab onto every now and then they take it for their own amusement to pretend that they aren’t basic as hell. There has always been a foreigner/group who breaks on the scene when white people want something different. It doesn’t mean they respect them or PSY in anyway at all.
When I look at PSY I wouldn’t necessarily say he was good looking. I don’t mean to be a bitch but sorry I think it’s true(and btw that doesn’t mean I think less of him because of it and he doesn’t act annoying like Aika) and even he knows it which is why he has adopted this funny character. It’s like if you have ever seen Norazo on a music show you know that those bitches can sing but unfortunately they will never be able to become serious singers so they act funny. Or you could say it’s akin to Lady Gaga as well. You take this girl with dopey eyes and a huge nose and obviously she isn’t going nowhere but make her fabulous and “odd” and everyone loves her.
Pop culture reflects how society feels about everything. You only have to look at who gets casted to see what goes on in society. With Asians(or at least males) we view them as jokes. The guys are nerds(who are good at math and play the piano and/or the violin) with small penises who are always going after attractive girls. The girls have it slightly better but only because we don’t accept ugly women that are losers in the first place. They are usually the exotic~ super attractive interests of the main character when he goes to some foreign place or a surgeon or lawyer with some Kung fu skills.
As you can see PSY comfortably fits into the box we give Asian males and therefore we accept him. He isn’t GODfrey Gao and he looks like an absolute loser who couldn’t get a girl if his life depended on it. Oh and he probably has a small penis. We mustn’t forget that.
It’s absolutely hilarious to us because he does everything that an Asian man shouldn’t and is a big joke as a result. Look at that stupid Asian guy trying to get those girls and acting like he’s a boss. But he can’t be because he’s Asian! He’s going to be a virgin forever and have animu waifus! AHAHAHAHA!!!!!! White people are so much better! God, I love this crazy Japanese guy, he’s a riot.
That is why PSY is succeeding and not the Wonder Flops, or SNSD. When a Asian artist takes themselves seriously and genuinely tries to make something of themselves, it fails. I guess you could argue that the dance is the main attraction to the song but there have been in my opinion catchier dances out there or at the very least the dances are on par with Gangnam Style. If PSY genuinely acted like the rest of those American stars it wouldn’t work. He could do whatever dance he wanted and if he tried acting sexy, into drugs and getting lots of girls people would ignore it and like I said it’s because we don’t take Asian people seriously or think they are on the same level as us which is so sad.
With PSY’s song the stars just magically aligned and he got lucky. Decent song that sticks in your head, fantastic dance, funny MV, and a weird, ugly Asian guy who spends his time being a total loser who acts like he’s hot shit while the attractive girls hate him(except for Hyuna but by then we don’t care because she’s gorgeous and that’s all we notice). All of this worked in his favour and best of all he didn’t even try to make an international hit. He uploaded his video on YouTube in full in HD like all Korean artists do and the Kpop stans started watching the fuck out of it until it got featured and the craze happened.
Let’s be real, the public doesn’t care about him. He’s their flavour of the week. My mom loves PSY now probably only because she knows I like Asian things lmao and it’s one of the few things she knows I like in the mainstream but if I asked her to name her top 2 PSY songs she wouldn’t be able to answer. Most people wouldn’t be able to answer and a lot of them only know him as that crazy Chinese guy with the horse dance.
I pray to Shisus that he won’t be a one hit wonder and will open the floodgates but I highly doubt it. At the very least if I find his album in store I will be buying it. I don’t care if it’s a bigger flop than Exodus(although tbh that was amazing if you pretend you don’t know English) it’s going to be mine. And listen you dumbass weeaboos even if you are JEALOUS that it’s not AKB up there(and for a good reason, it’s not in vogue to be a pedo here)it’s still great and you should support it. I don’t care if you like Kpop or just Jpop and hate PSY, if it’s $10 you should buy it. We are a small knit community but if we show demand for Asian acts and support the artists maybe that will lead to AKB performing on David Letterman or something. And who doesn’t want to see America confused as hell trying to figure out 300 Japanese girls dressed in school uniforms flashing their panties? I know I do.
Anyway if nothing else PSY himself is rich and the exposure for our Asian worshiping community is great. While Asian acts will never be respected(I mean black people are fairly mainstream in movies and such and they are still cast as token black people)it’s a good step in the right direction to get them more exposed to whities.
Basic.
Well I was going to write/was working on a lovely post on what I thought of the finalists but I didn’t have time because they seemed to announce it really quickly. Probably so we wouldn’t dwell on the awesome girls they passed on.
It’s Oda Sakura. The only winner. Meh. She is so vanilla. I am not happy with this choice.
I’m not happy but it won’t keep me up at night crying over this decision. She’s a dud but not a complete dud and I can’t say that she is particularly ugly but maybe on the better side of average. Although she is kind of cute when she smiles and only then. Her eyes are dead inside and wonky but when she smiles she looks way better and alive.
The good thing about this is that she is basic and doesn’t offend me in any way. The other girls mostly are strong characters and if I end up not liking her that’s fine, she will be easy to ignore. I know either now or eventually she might be pushed to the front with Riho but I think Riho stands out more and will steal the spotlight. I am okay with that because I can at least see that Riho has a loli appeal.
Morning Musume at this point can’t sing for shit. Reina is the only one who can sing and that is a tragedy. I realize that these girls mostly all have potential but I need a good singer right now. Yes Morning Musume has always had project girls but there has always been a few that could actually sing to hold the group down. Reina is good but Sayumi is a mess and pretty much every one of the girls can sing better than her.
Sakura has a decent voice(on recordings probably great) and does have potential but is she a super amazing singer? Fuck no. People are jizzing themselves over her amazing singing skills and sorry but If you think she is exceptional as a singer then I seriously think you all have been listening AKB lipsynching and it has impacted your judgement. Listen here:
It’s not that great. No, she is not an amazing singer. I do like her voice though but honestly Morning Musume sounds like shit now and does not harmonize well. One girl won’t save it. Most of the girls have voices with lower tones(they can’t sing and sound like a bunch of drunk business men on a karaoke night tbh) and I personally feel like they need to add more with higher ones. Sayumi has a higher toned voice but hers is annoying and I can’t listen to it especially now that she is given a lot of focus. So I guess I am happy that she doesn’t sound like Sayumi. If Sakura can take the focus away from Sayumi and give her less lines then I will love her and my ears will love her.
It’s not really Sakura that I don’t like but the circumstances around Sakura being picked. This audition in my mind was supposed to be for skilled singers to ground Morning Musume because they can’t sing and they threw in the super pretty without makeup part. While I thought that they were only going to pick a few girls picking one makes sense now. They wanted her to be the title of the audition.
I am sorry H!P but you can’t show me this girl and tell me that she is super gorgeous because I have eyes. She is okay. Again not ugly but to me only remotely pretty when she smiles. I have often looked at her(and my friend as well) trying to decide whether she was pretty or not and another person I talked to said she was ugly. The point is if she was super gorgeous we shouldn’t be questioning it. I understand that we all have different tastes but I have never heard anyone say that Yuukarin was ugly, now she is a good example of pretty girl. This one, not so much. It’s a majority thing. Good if she appeals to you but I don’t like to lie and pretend that my biases/girls are beautiful in a conventional way if they aren’t. I don’t hate her for it, just like I don’t hate Aika for it. It is what it is. What I hate is that they want to pretend that she is somehow this super gorgeous girl who is naturally beautiful with a talent for singing that is unmatched by anyone. Plus she looks 30.
Making an audition called that and then choosing a girl who is neither pisses me off. Not only that but you can’t show me cute little girls and then expect me to like her better. Many people were upset with Aika(not me because Aika was the best out of those wrecks who didnt even practice or learn lyrics) joining instead of others, well this girl is my Aika .The one I am disappointed with. She doesn’t stand up by herself and from what I have seen so far not impressive at all and I expected much better. You tell me you want a great singer and you don’t even pick the best one which was Haruka the only girl who could actually sing. You tell me you want a natural beauty and basically every girl there was prettier. Ayano most definitely was pretty in a traditional sense. So why am I supposed to be happy about this?
Another thing, she is an Egg. I am all for adding Eggs(girls with experience and a good fan base is smart to add and they know the members) so don’t get me wrong but seriously if you were going to pick her and just her there was no point in holding auditions just to troll everyone and get them attached to girls they can’t stan and let all of those girls think that they have a chance when they don’t. That’s mean. I know someone will probably say that she wasn’t guaranteed to get in but I think it’s pretty obvious she is just like Riho was because that’s what they wanted. There’s no way she was the best out of all of those girls that auditioned and like I said she wasn’t even the best out of the finalists.
I think she would be a good choice if it was her and someone else but just her is stupid. We all know that the one gen girls are supposed to be the mega aces and it’s insulting to Morning Musume to compare her to Gomaki and Koharu. I don’t see it in her at all. I know they will force her upon us and that’s annoying when I don’t want to see this boring vanilla girl there. Her stans will be equally annoying and will worship her blindly because she is clearly the best singer on the planet and the chosen one and everyone is just jealous of Sakura because she is perfect. Yeah I already know how this will go.
I am hoping there is a reason for this. If there is then I will understand. I don’t think she is meant to be a front girl and I see her as a nice addition to make the group better but when see gets placed to the front I won’t like it as she adds nothing special for me and an ace should be special in either looks, personality or talent.
I am curious to why they added only her. I guess it is just easier that way. H!P manages all of the Eggs and they know which girls are dedicated and take directions well so this flop must be good at listening. She is also probably good for the dynamic of the group and not a diva. It’s good that she is an Egg because she is familiar with all of the teachers and girls and can take the strenuous life of an idol. She also does not need much work because she probably already knows a bunch of H!P songs and dances and they won’t have much down time with her or have to concentrate on getting her perfect. I am thinking that with the 9th and 10th gen they found it hard because those girls needed to be trained a lot. However I still think she was unnecessary and if they were going for a solid singer to add to support Morning Musume they missed the boat with that one.
I wonder if they are planning on adding more girls later like what they did with Aika. They tried it with the pandas but it got nowhere due to racists. Is Jjang(ㅋㅋㅋ)Dayeon still there in H!P? I don’t know if Dayeon would fare any better because she is gorgeous, young looking and Korean. I hear that a few Korean bands have come over into Japan or something like that so maybe she could be okay. It’s interesting from my perspective that when the whole global H!P thing happened and failed that she was kept on. Then we the mass firing of Egg girls and she is still kept on. Also they had the Up Up Girls cover Korean songs and she was still kept in the Eggs. So they must be doing something with her. I wonder what. She is beautiful and I hope she does get a chance to shine if indeed she hasn’t been fired. lol
Oh look I have turned this into a discussion about Jang Dayeon. That is how much Sakura bores me.
Anyway that is probably just me being obsessed with another girl joining because Sakura sucks. I do think that at some point they are preparing for Reina and Sayu to leave soon. When Momusu was constant that was their downfall. They can not stay that way if they want to evolve. It gets stale. The whole band thing with Reina is a way to set her up with a career since she is the perfect idol and seems like she doesn’t want to age and can in my opinion maintain a youthful feel. I do expect her to leave if she releases a single and it does well. Sayu I am not sure about yet. She is Morning Musume’s publicity and has a huge fanbase. Plus unlike Reina who I feel usually just thinks if girls as co-workers as is more concerned for herself, Sayu actually cares and is a good leader who would be nice to keep around for a while although my ears think differently. At some point they will leave and this will cost Momusu money because wota of those girls might not latch on to the other members and won’t support the group.
S/mileage is not back to their sales after Yuukarin left but they are doing very well considering. If the other girls had not joined they would have been absolutely fucked. If those big money makers leave they need something to happen in order to make up for the money that they are losing. In terms of Momusu it is quite easy. Just add a bunch of cute girls and they will attract fans. If Sayumi is popular and sells 500 photos a month(I know this is off it’s for demonstration purposes) a new girl is not going to get that many sales unless she is special. So maybe a new girl could only manage to sell 125 photos. That sucks and H!P is going broke. But if you add four girls and they sell that you are absolutely fine.
When they leave Morning Musume will need new girls to keep up their sales. I think this is why they chose Sakura. She’s perfectly inoffensive and over time she will be a good singer who can support the bunch of tone deaf men they have now. She would be a great back girl and would easily allow the new generation to shine unlike if they added someone who was charming, pretty and talented. If they chose her to be the new ace of Momusu then lol. They are out of their fucking minds.
All in all she’s a great choice but I would have preferred another girl to be included as a member. I will only like her as a back girl too. I don’t think she has what it takes to be a front girl and Morning Musume already has other girls which could be promoted to that. Maybe I will grow to like her, maybe I will love her but for now she is basic.
Jpop Sucks~
Since Taku Takahashi is not a 13 year old girl I’ll admit I do not know much about him. I know he was/is?(I don’t know) a member of m-flo which I know very little about. I’ve never explored their music that much but I have liked the songs I have heard. I don’t know why the hell I haven’t listened to them more but I’m not going to pretend like I do when I don’t. What I gather from people who I surround myself with is that m-flo is amazing and I don’t know if Taku was good at one point in his career but now his music is atrocious. So then comes everyone saying he is pressed that he is a flop. Personally I can’t judge.
If you missed it tune into his twitter @takudj because he’s always complaining about how Japanese mainstream music sucks and that the Korean music scene is better. Grab some popcorn. You’ll have a great time.
I think he brings up valid points actually. I’m probably the only person but whatever. How much his music sucks if it does has almost nothing to do with what he is saying and if you remove him from the situation it’s easy to understand what he is saying. Is he pressed? Probably but like I said he does make legit points and it’s understandable why he would be annoyed.
When I look at the Japanese music industry, Il ook at who sells the most and this will probably come as a huge shock to people so brace yourselves it’s 48 groups and Johnny’s. I’m not even joking.
2010 Yearly Single Ranking
1. “Beginner” – AKB48 : (954,283)
2. “Heavy Rotation” – AKB48 (713,275)
3. “Troublemaker” - Arashi : (698,542)
4. “Monster” – Arashi : (696,022)
5. “Ponytail to Shushu” – AKB48 : (659,959)
6. “Hatenai Sora” – Arashi : (656,343)
7. “Løve Rainbow” – Arashi : (620,057)
8. “Chance no Junban” – AKB48 : (596,769)
9. “Dear Snow” – Arashi : (591,207)
10. “To be free” – Arashi : (516,142)
11. “Love yourself~Kimi ga Kirai na Kimi ga Suki~” – KAT-TUN : (439,736)
12. “Sakura no Shiori” – AKB48 : (390,957)
13. “This is Love” – SMAP : (350,322)
14. “Mata Kimi ni Koi Shiteru/Asia no Kaizoku” – Sakamoto Fuyumi : (311,215)
15. “LIFE~Me no mae no Mukou e~” – Kanjani 8 : (305,478)
16. “BREAK OUT!” – Tohoshinki : (289,412)
17. “Going!” – KAT-TUN : (282,901)
18. “Wonderful World!!” – Kanjani 8 : (275,891)
19. “Hatsukoi” – Fukuyama Masaharu : (269,765)
20. “CHANGE UR WORLD” – KAT-TUN : (254,150)2011 Yearly Single Ranking
01 – “Flying Get” – AKB48 : (1,587,229)
02 – “Everyday, Kachuusha” – AKB48 : (1,586,840)
03 – “Kaze wa Fuiteiru” – AKB48 : (1,418,888)
04 – “Ue Kara Mariko” – AKB48 : (1,198,864)
05 – “Sakura no Ki ni Narou” – AKB48 : (1,079,460)
06 – “Lotus” – Arashi : (625,935)
07 – “Meikyu Love Song” – Arashi : (614,131)
08 – “Maru-Maru-Mori -Mori” – Kaoru to Tomoki, Tama ni Mook. : (498,920)
09 – “Pareo wa Emerald” – SKE48 : (466,037)
10 – “Everybody Go” – Kis-My-Ft2 : (441,680)
11 – “Okie Dokie” – SKE48 : (434,307)
12 – “Let’s try again” – Team Amuse!! : (312,666)
13 – “Oh My God!” – NMB48 : (309,846)
14 – “Rising Sun/Itsuka Kitto…” – EXILE/EXILE ATSUSHI : (305,001)
15 – “OVER” – Hey! Say! JUMP : (297,781)
16 – “Why?(Keep Your Head Down)” – Tohoshinki : (285,051)
17 – “Banzai Venus” – SKE48 : (274,973)
18 – “Zetsumetsu Kurokami Shoujo” – NMB48 : (263,187)
19 – “T.W.L/Yellow Pansy Street” – Kanjani8 : (257,932)
20 – “Kazoku ni Narou Yo/fighting pose” – Fukuyama Masaharu : (255,572)2012 First Half Rankings
1. “Manatsu no Sounds good!” – AKB48 : (1,780,949)
2. “GIVE ME FIVE!” – AKB48 : (1,434,398)
3. “Wild At Heart” – Arashi : (644,899)
4. “Face Down” - Arashi : (601,467)
5. “Kataomoi Finally” – SKE48 : (592,681)
6. “Ai Shite Love Ru!” – SKE48 : (544,000)
7. “Your Eyes” – Arashi : (477,820)
8. “Nagiichi” – NMB48 : (433,421)
9. “Junjo U-19” – NMB48 : (376,302)
10. “We never give up!” – Kis-My-Ft2 : (309,103)
There is no variety at all. Do I think their music is what’s making them popular? Hell no. I don’t have any interest in Johnny’s but I always to try listen to 48 groups’ singles and they pretty much all suck. Like album filler song material. That’s a shame too because there are 48 songs that I absolutely adore but lately/for several years they all suck.
Regardless of if their music sucks or not why the hell is it just Johnny’s and AKB? That’s ridiculous to be honest and it goes to show how much these companies infiltrate the music scene. Again it’s not that I have anything against the idols but it’s fucking crazy that only they exist there. Almost no one has a chance to get popular now. Japan has gone idol crazy now and an artist or a group that is not that or famous already has very little chance of becoming popular. I certainly don’t hate AKB or Johnny’s their spots and it’s great for them but looking at this you can’t really say there is variety which is what Taku was saying. Plus with no variety comes no creativity. Chances are since the same people are working with these groups the music will be boring and uninspired. It’s not like they have to try anyway.
I do understand that what is good music is kind of hard to say. It’s subjective. I don’t think comparing Vivaldi to Passpo and saying one is better based on your preference works. They are two totally different categories of music and made differently. When you do that you fail in my opinion. Idol music isn’t classical music and doesn’t aim to be. I don’t think that just because something isn’t meant to be serious or isn’t complex that it classifies as bad. What’s best to do is compare them to themselves. How successful of a piece do I think this is in terms of it’s category? Have I heard other pieces that I would deem better? These are the kinds of things I consider. But I am not even sure if because a piece of music is bad that it’s unsuccessful. For example Pyoko Pyoko Ultra is a mess of a song and yet I still listen to it. So perhaps it can’t be that bad or unsuccessful if I listen to it and enjoy it.
In terms of musical categories it’s not right to compare in my opinion but when it comes to Japanese and Korean music I do. Both places have a distinct style and what works on one often doesn’t work in the other as we can see by 2NE1′s fail in Japan. I am not saying that one is better in terms of music because they are different styles. However I can certainly say that overall Kpop is better. I am comparing this in a global way. I am a foreigner and I look at it as what appeals to me and people around the world better from a marketing standpoint.
Jpop can’t hold a candle to Kpop. Now before you all kill me I love Jpop but I do acknowledge its faults. I am not blind to the fact that the idol scene is made up of mostly untalented teenagers.
Okay so I do acknowledge that some/lots of Kpop groups can’t sing. Like this:
That is bloody terrible. Then fans sing more on tune. However I think looking at the overall picture Kpop groups are way more solid.
And yes I know that most of these groups I’ve posted have years on some of the jpop groups. So to be fair here are some younger groups from Korea.
It doesn’t matter, whatever reason you can give me it’s undeniable that Korea has idols that are better at performing. It is certainly not because there are no talented dancers in Japan either. C-ute and Perfume are really good at dancing and Kozue is a phenomenal dancer. I watch niconico dancers all of the time and some of those people are extraordinary dancers. I have seriously seen cover groups that dance and perform better than AKB themselves.
It’s simply because in Japan talent doesn’t matter. Looks are more important. Jpop focuses on the girl more so as a product herself and they will get solo photobooks and do gravure shoots. In Korea they don’t tend to do this and if idols are on magazines it’s because they are endorsing something or modeling for a shoot. Obviously it’s the same as the girl being a product but I think that level of separation makes a difference. Idols in Korea are seen as artists first whereas I don’t think in Japan it matters just as long as people like the idols and they are cute and personable.
Of course looks do matter in Korea as well and there is bias towards certain companies but even so there’s a seriousness about being an idol which Japan lacks. I do think that artists over there tend to strive for perfection in all aspects that make an idol. It’s a matter of pride. They need to be pretty but they care about appearing to sing and dance well. Whether they do or not is a different story but I do think it’s expected of them and they will go to extreme lengths to get it whereas in Japan the number goal is to be young and kawaii. If you made a group that lip-synched every time and danced poorly they would get crucified in Korea. Hell a lot of people make MR Removed videos so you can see exactly who is singing and how well they do it. I don’t think it’s only anti fans doing it either to say how much a group sucks. If you are a fan of something you want them to strive hard, right? Korean groups do. They work hours and hours a day practicing for their stages so they can get it right. Even if some are lacking in skills they do it so much that they usually are pretty in synch with the others. That’s not right either but I prefer it to someone not caring about how well they perform and only wanting to be cute to satisfy people.
The other thing is accessibility. Japan hates everyone that is not Japan and doesn’t need your money. Korea doesn’t. Korea wants your money. I know I’d rather feel welcomed and wanted than an alienated freak but maybe that’s just me. Japanese companies(minus H!P they are actually doing something smart for once) are terrible. The best way to promote internationally is through the internet. Youtube is used by a lot of people and a great way to promote to your artists. Yet if I am lucky enough to get a full version of a PV(don’t even get me started on this because I get so pissed that I will start killing people)it’s low quality and yes that’s on the OFFICIAL channel. What the hell is that? There is no excuse. I’m pretty fucking sure that we’ve progressed enough where a HD quality video is not hard to do. I can make one on my phone ffs. The problem is not that they can’t make a HD but that they don’t want to share it to the internet community which is a dumb reasoning. You aren’t getting people to buy your singles by posting horrid quality PVs online. If someone doesn’t want to buy your single they won’t. It’s that simple. If they want to see a HD version, they’ll find it. I guarantee you that.
All Japanese companies are doing is deterring people from getting into their group. Korean companies will upload full HD videos for people to enjoy. They actually want people to watch their videos. They work hard on their videos and there is a standard. If some companies are uploading HD videos your group will look like an idiot uploading something in 480p. Low quality is a turn off for me and I am not watching that crap. If I’m really desperate sure I will but otherwise I’ll be browsing Korean videos when I’m in the mood to watch music videos. Japanese PVs don’t make me want to buy or support the artists at all. Although AKB does try and makes nice PVs most other groups are in a studio. It’s boring. At least if you are going to shoot in a box make it a expensive looking box to look like you have put a little bit of effort into it. The music video is what gets people interesting in buying the single or getting into the group.
YouTube is a great tool for promoting your group and doing so internationally. It confuses me why Japanese companies are saying no to gaining fans. Why would anyone be opposed to getting money? I thought that was the point of creating companies? I remember Bubble Pop got noticed really quickly by the youtube community and it got enough attention to make people check it out and get articles written about it. If people liked it enough they could have possibly became fans but I bet those people were just as disappointed as us that Hyuna is in a flop group of nugus and not solo. I would say that people checking out videos of artists they never knew happens a lot. People are browsing around YouTube and stumble upon something and they become a fan of the group. Or they see that it’s a top video and check it out. Either way every time someone does that there is potential to make a new fan. You should do whatever it takes to impress people and Japanese companies don’t.
It’s not only that but Korean companies as I’ve said before make me feel welcome. They still see me as a foreigner and I will I always be that but at least they tolerate me and try to please me in order to gain money. They are trying really, really hard. They often stream things now so foreigners can watch things(As opposed to me waking up at 3am to watch a stream with girl indie idols and region block. Fuck you Japan. Fuck you.)and some companies upload performances to their YouTube channels. Not only that but one of the music show programs is uploading every single performance that was performed on their music show on Youtube. IN HD. Ladies and gentlemen I present to you the best youtube channel ever. As well they are trying to improve their companies to help include foreigners around the world. Now there is much more English included so others can understand. At this point most companies are trying to translate and sub things so foreigners(and this includes Japanese people too) won’t be left out. I have the Sweet Muse dvd set from Kara that was translated by the company and that definitely made me by it because I’m not spending a good amount of my money on things I can’t understand to watch my idols blink and smile. I laugh when I think about Japanese companies doing it. They wouldn’t. This is another strike against them, not that they care.
As well the fan community is way better. Japanese people can’t do anything when it comes to sharing things(they can’t even copy things for personal use now smh), fancams or fanphotos. I will never be at a point in my life where I will be able to join a fanclub and stalk my idols so I am left out. However Korean fanclubs don’t make me feel like that. They always are taking photos and fancams and most sites share these with foreign fans and fan taken photos and videos are amazing and even better quality than the companies. I know that Shawols don’t fuck around when it comes to quality and their camera equipment probably cost as much as a house. Okay that’s exaggerating but they go all out on the equipment and could easily be a professional photographer with all of that. Plus they make stellar fan goods which are again probably better than the actual companies which they try to make available to foreign fans if they can.
I think one thing that was a fresh breath of air for me was that amount of female fans and younger people into Kpop. It’s not that hate guys or older ones(trust me, I really like them)but I feel like I can relate more to girls. I think when any fandom is extremely one way or the other it creeps me out to a extent although I do admit certain groups will have a gender they target. I guess where I like girl groups I have a tougher time in Jpop finding girls who feel the same but Kpop isn’t like that. There’s a mixture of fans and it comforts me in some strange way to see females yelling their lungs out at female groups and being even more boisterous than the guys. Why the hell is there female only meet and greets, shows or areas in concert halls in Japan? That is sketchy. Females should not be scared to be around a group of guys that much. I can’t fully enjoy a group if I know that their fans are creeps and it always makes me feel bad. If I applied this to appealing to foreigners I think Korea is definitely more appealing because old dudes can intimidate or seem creepy to some people.
Anyone who knows me even a little knows that I abhor Japanese packaging. I think jewel cases exist as some form of torment to the human species. Fortunately Korean companies tend to agree with me and they usually don’t use them nowadays. Even if Korean companies put out a cd with standard album packaging it’s like a miracle compared to the Japanese ones. It’s worth buying a Korean one for the photobook alone and Japanese singles or albums often don’t have one and if they do it’s usually only a few pages and a small size to fit the stupid jewel cases. Oh and by the way I hope you like spending up to four times more to get a Japanese cd of lesser quality. If you are going to make me pay for something at least make it worth my while. Can you imagine a C-ute album looking like this? I would die. I would caress it and love it and it would be amazing and I really want it and omg why does it exist because it would totally make my life.
So yeah in terms of marketing Japan is getting its ass kicked by Korea and it’s not surprising that even some Japanese people are jumping on the Kpop bandwagon. Taku Takahashi is absolutely correct with what he is saying and I don’t even know how people can say he isn’t. There are great Japanese groups and artists out there but I would that say most of the time they aren’t popular or mainstream. There is no variety any more at all and the more groups that AKB48 and Johnny’s churns out the more obvious this gets because they are popular and manage to climb the chart. I’ll admit that yes in Korea the big companies do have more power and their artists do place higher but overall I think the mainstream is fairly diverse and Korean companies wouldn’t dream of producing boring(key word is boring because Exo-M is flaw free) clones of their main group. Do I think he should be saying this on twitter? Fuck no. Japan is always ichiban. ALWAYS. You should never ever insult the great paradise that is Japan if you work there. It’s a bad idea all around and no good will come of him bashing the Japanese music industry but he can do whatever he wants and he most certainly isn’t wrong.
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So You Want to Be a Wota
Okay so an anon on my formspring asked if I could make like a general guide to wota, I guess. If you somehow thought I have ever been to a concert or a party with wota I haven’t anon. I’m not a social butterfly either. However I have learned a lot being a wota and I think I can put that into some sort of guide to help newer wota. If you are awkward I can’t help you there, it’s just the way you are. If this isn’t what you wanted I am sorry for failing you anon but I hope you at least can see that I tried and had the best intentions.
Being a wota
I think when you realize you are a wota it’s only natural to wonder if you are crazy. You spend a lot of your time stalking teenage girls and if you are anything like me I was never ever obsessed with something to that extent until I discovered Momusu which makes it even harder to accept. I had a hard time but I decided I wasn’t crazy. In my opinion crazy ones are obsessed to the point where it’s not healthy. When a wota feels like they own the girls that’s when they are crazy. I know when to pull back and take a step into reality. I can spend hours upon hours each day speaking about idols but really it’s about how you do it although I don’t deny that I am obsessed.
You do not own the girls. You do not deserve to see a girl more than others. You are not so and so’s biggest or only fan. You should not ruin events for others because of your need to see your favourite idol. It’s fine to fantasize about them being your friend, daughter, spouse or lover but you should understand it will never happen and that they don’t care about you or see you as anything more than a fan. You should never wish a girl any harm if she breaks her character and has a boyfriend. If you think you do then yeah you are crazy.
When you become a wota you don’t want to be one of those crazy jerks. What I define as a wota I want to be and a wota who I want to be around is a well adjusted wota that has basic social skills. You should be able to joke. A sense of humour is extremely important to me because people who take everything too seriously are annoying and getting worked up about someone’s opinions on a non-serious thing like idols is stupid.
If you have ever watched Hello! Party fancams(please don’t if you haven’t) or whatever it is like the most depressing thing ever and most of those people are useless and need help/alcohol because they can’t communicate. Those people are the worst and I don’t know how some of them didn’t run out the door because that was so awkward to watch and I can’t even begin to imagine how embarrassing it was to be there. Although I guess most wota are fucked up in some way which is why we do what we do. Still I wouldn’t hang out with losers who are super uptight and boring IRL. I would rather be by myself than deal with that. Okay so I was going to publish this before the Berryz thing but then personal issues got in the way and I felt bad slamming Hello Party. Maybe it was going to be different this time, right? I know that’s like saying maybe Sayumi will be a good singer one day but still I want to believe.
Man that place is the saddest place in the world. Fine if you go there and are happy but I’m not going to pretend like I can understand why a person could be happy there. Now again some of you probably have to think I have to go there but fuck no I don’t. I have been to many a party in my life and since I act like everyone’s psychologist I am good at reading people and situations. If I find it awkward from watching a video how awkward is it to actually be there?
So anyway I wasn’t going to watch it because I had a feeling it would be just as fail as previous years. But my friend linked me and I caved. A wota party sounds like a great idea in theory but it fails in actuality. Nevertheless I keep hoping that one time it will be less embarrassing but that never happens. Nope. It was the same old thing. 4 people dancing to idol dances(badly) and the rest of the people just watching in awe at the fact that some people weren’t afraid to draw attention to themselves and interact with others. In fact the most interesting part was looking at some girl’s ass and watching her freak out later because the rest of it was putting me to sleep. I’ve seen my grandma have a livelier party.
If you were there and had a good time, that’s great. I’m not going to take that away from you. I’m not saying people can’t enjoy it. I’m just saying it’s lame.
This has gotten off-topic, oop.
Dealing with being a wota IRL
I think the trouble with being a wota is it gets lonely. If you are a fan of Star Wars you can find a friend or maybe get someone into it. In fact with most hobbies you will be able to find someone who shares your interest in it. Chances are your IRL friends won’t give a shit about mediocre pop music sung by little girls. Plus not only that but most people can not understand why the hell you would choose to listen to a foreign group who speaks and sings in a language that you can’t understand. Even if they listen to operas sung in foreign languages for some reason they cannot accept that you like weird Japanese shit. Somehow it just doesn’t register to them that music is universal and that you don’t have to understand someone to know how their smile makes you feel.
I think after a while you just have to accept loneliness irl. Or not loneliness but feeling incomplete or unsatisfied. You might have friends irl but they don’t make you feel happy the way your online wota friends do. I have tried to change my friends when I was younger and that was a mistake. What I have realized is that even if you have similar interests with your friends and they are the biggest weeaboos it doesn’t mean they are wota. It’s the worst thing to try to change them. They are who they are and no matter how hard you try to change them it won’t work if they don’t want it. You would only be annoying your friends and getting yourself upset.
At the same time I’ve learned that it’s best not to treat idols like they are wrong and hide away the fact that you like them. I used to treat and of my goods like they were porn and hide them away. Okay so you do like something that most people don’t like and it is/appears to be highly sexual in nature but letting someone make you feel ashamed or that you should give up idols isn’t right. You are doing what makes you feel happy and if anyone harasses you a lot to give it up they don’t know you well enough and certainly don’t care about you. Now like I said previously I’m not saying you should flaunt your wota-ness. It takes a balance.
What’s best to do is not force your friends/whoever to like idols but not to hide that you like idols as well. If you have your iPod on and are listening to idol music and they ask what you are listening to you say what you are listening to. In any circumstance don’t feel bad or like you have to hide it and don’t let people make you feel bad. I’ve spent too long trying to hide who I was(poorly) for fear of rejection but if someone loves you they won’t reject you so I really, really stress this as I would have loved to hear this when I was younger and felt truly alone. You are who you are. Don’t change it. Even if you are feeling alone and alienated right I promise that someday you will meet someone who appreciates you just the way you are.
Meeting other wota/socializing with your own kind
Once you accepted that you are a wota and realize that IRL won’t bring friends(well in your case it might, idk)and you want to discuss your idols you’ll probably look for other wota. Just because they are wota doesn’t mean that you will get along with them though. I absolutely hate and am annoyed by quite a few and they probably feel the same about me. Anyway these are the type of people I deal with everyday:
arama/omona fans
If you here the words stan and flawless you better run the other way because you’ve just encountered one of these idiots. They act like teenagers and crave validation.Casual fans(not technically wota but they exist so I’ll include them)
The ones that like a group but don’t want to or don’t have the time to learn more about the group. They just want to listen to the music and stare at the pretty girls and have a life, not know every detail of the group.Connoisseurs of idols fans
These are the people who are more experienced in certain fields and over analyze those aspects in the idol community. Often times they are elitists because they believe they know better than every one else.want to or don’t have the time to learn more about the group. They just want to listen to the music and stare at the pretty girls and have a life, not know every detail of the group.Delusional fans
AKB is not sexual hurr durr. H!P is popular. Idols don’t date.Ex-H!P fans
I don’t know what the fuck to call these people because they are always flip-flopping. They seem to think you can only like one group at a time. First they are fans of H!P but then it sucks and then go over to the AKB fandom. They’ll constantly complain about H!P even though they aren’t fans of it any more until they reach a point where they pretend they don’t care. Anyway AKB is the best and so H!P doesn’t matter. Now that AKB is boring they seem to be coming back over to the H!P fandom and even like some of the 9th and 10th gen Momusu girls now!!! They were always a true H!P fan(well except for those few years where they were too busy stanning AKB and insulting H!P but they won’t admit that)and love H!P more than anything.Elitist fans
Oh hi, AKB stans. The type of people who will look down on you for not knowing every detail about a group or getting into a fandom later. If you don’t know of every girl’s existence you are dead to them. Oh and don’t dare call yourself a fan because you’re not.Know it all fans
Chances are they are newer fans or at least ignorant but they think they know it all. Insufferable and the most annoying in my opinion. The kind who’ll state wrong facts acting like they are right(they’re not) and then get mad when someone corrects them because they are always right no matter what. They have problems and can’t take criticism so they try to be perfect but instead they just look like an ass spewing falsities.New fans(also not technically wota but they exist so I’ll include them)
Probably don’t know the names of the girls and can’t tell them all apart because they look alike. Don’t know all of the songs and don’t understand events you reference because they really don’t know anything yet. They just know they like a particular group. Still most of these people are harmless. Because they haven’t had time to develop into what annoying type of wota they will be.Nice guy fans
They will do anything to make you believe they are a nice guy. I don’t know why. I think it’s because in the community females exist and so to be a nice guy they pretend they don’t like the girl idols like that. They will often refer to the idols as their friends or that they admire them but female wota don’t fall for that and we all know that’s bullshit especially if you run a tumblr where you solely post pictures of girls in bikinis. It’s creepier when you pretend that you’re asexual, trust me.Oshi fans
Only like one girl. If that girl leaves they will probably abandon the fandom and then complain about how they aren’t included in the fandom anymore.Pervert fans
In it for the ass. They like girls in bikinis. Probably won’t be able to tell you if a song is a new release or an old song because they don’t listen to the music much.
Again you aren’t always going to find a new awesome friend everyday and you’ll have to deal with a lot of shitheads like you do IRL but whatever you’re probably used to that. In my opinion the people that I’m really good friends with I didn’t just meet them in like a light went off in my head and we were bffs forever. No, that takes time. In fact the people that I’m good friends with often times were the ones who I thought I would not be good friends with. A lot of times they scared me actually because beforehand I admired them and was intimidated by them. You can be soulmates with someone but again it won’t happen right away. At first both of you will be awkward and unsure.
If you are going to any sort of anime convention to see idols I highly suggest that you avoid Hello Party/public get-togethers if you can. No one who is fun would be there. I know you want to meet people but that is not the way to go. At least if you are going there find someone decent and run away with them before you die of embarrassment.
What I would suggest is going on a site and asking who is going and finding friends from them. You’ll probably be awkward irl so of you know their true selves it’ll be better because you know eventually they’ll be that person. If you don’t then I think the best thing to do is to wear something Hello Project or whatever idol group you like(Keep in mind the context. If you are going to wear an AKB shirt to an event that is full of H!P fans who mostly hate AKB fans and AKB helped lead to H!P’s downfall that’s probably not a good idea. If you are stupid enough to do that you deserve what you get.) so people can look at you and see that you like idols. Most people who stan whoever will be just as lonely and sad as you. I bet that some will be screaming for attention and would love if you gave them it. So if you see someone like this just send them a compliment or bond through common interests “You like Haruka the best ?! I do too!” That way you can easily break the awkwardness and find out if you them or not.
Accepting that you are a wota
I’m just going to take a stab in the dark and say that most wota are social rejects. It’s probably not that hard to see. Or at least that we use idols to escape our shitty lives. I think that’s fine. For me it’s no different than watching Dancing with the Stars or whatever normal people are supposed to do. Humans have created so many great things that now we don’t need to spend many hours a day doing things that will keep us alive. We have free time. We have to do something with that free time. I choose to be a wota. I’ve been one for so many years now and it truly is the best thing in the world to me. I love everything about the idol world. It’s who I am and it took years for me not to be ashamed of it but I’m finally there. I’m not going to change myself to make others happy.
However if you’re not happy being a wota, you should change that. Sometimes you might like idols because they give you everything you want. If you want a girlfriend, they give you that. They can make you feel special and loved. I’m not saying it’s particularly bad because without idols I don’t know where I would be. I think though that if you are sad that you can’t accomplish whatever in life and mask it with idols, you should stop. You will never ever be happy with your life if you ignore and don’t fix the problems you have with it. Since idols are very healing there might come a point when you have a life and you don’t need them and I think that’s fine as well. This is so preachy lmao but I’ve met lots of people like this who have these problems. Basically whatever makes you happy, do it. If happiness to you is having a life, go get that life. And if mediocre pop music sung by little girls makes you happy then keep being a wota.
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And Nothing of Value was Lost
Everyone has always said that Aika was going to stay in Momusu. I just couldnt see it. Or maybe I didn’t want to see it. Yeah that’s probably more likely. Aika has had problems with her leg for quite some time and fans have had problems with her. There’s no reason for her to continue and bring the group down so this makes sense to me.
I have said it once and I will say it again. I am very obsessed with looks when it comes to idols. It’s a big part of why I like a girl. I don’t necessarily want them to be stunning but at the same I want to look at and I want to admire someone I find attractive. It’s not always the pretty girls I find enthralling because I enjoy charming girls as well. Poor Aika is neither pretty or charming. She’s just not to me. Although I have tried she gets less appealing to me as the years go by.
Now I don’t mean she’s the ugliest thing I have ever seen because sometimes her stylists get it right and she is transformed from mountain hag into a gorge- pret- Okay she’s ugly. I’m not even going to play. It’s like putting makeup on a pig. I’ve tried to be nice but it’s not in me. She’s not that attractive. She’s not. No amount of me pretending can change her face. It can’t make her a pretty girl like Risako. She has a nice body and face if I squint and try really hard and I am sure there is someone out there who finds her beautiful. It’s not going to be me and so I am not going to be clutching my pillow at night sobbing to myself over this great loss.
In some ways I wish I was a better person able to look past her looks and see her for the sweet girl she is. I can acknowledge that she’s sweet and can admit that she’s enthusiastic but I can’t get beyond her face. It’s super harsh and I do feel bad but it’s just the way it is. That’s not to say that if I came across her irl I wouldn’t associate myself with her because in life I couldn’t care less what people look like and she’s just an average looking girl. Hell she’d probably make a great friend. We could go out shopping and get lip fillers together.
In the idol world she’s a horrible match. I was never one of those people who was pissed at her for “taking” someone’s place in the auditions when they couldn’t even be bothered to learn one fucking song. Aika was always happy to be there and did what she was told so yes I do think she deserved to get in. That doesn’t mean I thought she was particularly suited to be an idol though. When you’re an ugly girl in a group with gorgeous girls it’s bound to be a terrible time. This is especially true since idols are their beauty the majority of the time. I mean lbr Yuuka offered us nothing except her beauty yet she was one of the most popular girls in H!P.
It’s not even just her face that makes me not like her. It’s her personality. She looks so moronic here I seriously can’t with her. It’s akin to the way my puppy smiles after he eats his shit. It’s a disgusting smugness which makes no sense within the context. I know that it’s because she can look in a mirror and see she’s not as pretty as the other girls and so I can cut her some slack for that. I know she’s compensating for her face but at the same time I can’t deal with her overreactions to every single thing. It’s annoying and fake. I’m not saying that no other girls act like this because they do and I don’t like it either. However they are more successful simply because of the fact that they are better looking and I can tolerate them more because it’s moe.
I also felt like Aika never really fit in Momusu either. She was always the young happy one where the rest of them were old and seemed miserable. It was always extremely awkward in my opinion. When Aika got placed in other groups she seemed a lot better off and she just seemed to fit in much better. I feel like Morning Musume in particular is a hard place to fit in and shine. At any given time you will have a bunch of different girls with different personalities and the songs are arranged to fit them. If you do not fit that style it doesn’t matter, you are made to fit or are pushed in the back. Not only that, Morning Musume is H!P’s flagship group and people will pay attention to you and pick you apart more than they would if you were in another group in H!P.
Although I feel this way about Aika I don’t even understand why she’s still in H!P at this point. Okay I know she’s enthusiastic and a good leader but that doesn’t mean anything. H!P members are idols and last I checked she’s a piss poor one. Like what the hell can she possibly do now? She’s starting to get old and she’s not incredibly special like Haruna to where I can say I approve of her in a group. She does come with a fan base but that’s about it. Honestly if you want an enthusiastic person good at instructing and taking care of idols wouldn’t hiring her as an instructor be be better? Or maybe they are essentially doing that? Having her at events and still making merchandise of her while she could coach younger girls seems like a pretty good idea. If they are keeping her to put in another group though they are beyond insane.
People are again complaining that Gaki’s spotlight is being stolen but I really don’t think so. I feel more bad for Aika to be honest. I don’t know why westerners have the biggest hard-on for Gaki but I never got it. Oh sure I like the girl but I think she is better used sparingly and could never see her as a front girl because she has this manly energy about her. I find that hot but in an idol group that’s not desirable at all. I guess I differ from most people in thinking that some girls are meant to be front girls and some work better in the back.
Anyway it’s nice that Gaki’s getting some spotlight. Especially so since she seemed to always be in the background while Ai-chan was pretty much deemed Morning Musume and had 50 photobooks. But when I sit down and think about it Gaki wasn’t treated that bad. I don’t ever think she broke top-tier status but there have been girls who have gotten way less than what Gaki has been given.
I think this double graduation is terrible for both girls. It would have been nice for Gaki to have her own concert and no matter how much I do not care for Aika she deserves her own concert with her five fans cheering happily. I am not opposed to double grads but this one is a bad combination. As it is we have two different girls that have nothing in common except they are getting kicked out at the same time. Plus it’s Aika. Any little thing she does people use it as an excuse to hate her. Now she’s “ruining” Gaki’s graduation even though she basically had to do it and of course Gaki will outshine her anyway. The whole thing is a disaster. A disaster I will revel in, but a disaster nonetheless.
After all I have said you will probably think I hate Aika or am happy to see her go but that’s not at all true. I will actually miss her a ton. You see as much as I think Aika is ridiculous, I delight in it. I adore Aika for those moments she brings to my life. In Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai! I laughed until I cried because of her. That means much more to me than a pretty girl looking seductive touching her face all of the time. As much as you look you will find no one who is as special as Aika. She was never boring to me and I will miss the personality she brings to Morning Musume. I’m kind of sad now because I know another Aika won’t be coming along to fill the void that Morning Musume will have when she is gone. Masaki, you are my only hope girl. Make Aika proud.
Popularity and Why Momusu is a Flop
Popularity. It’s something that we all want for our favourite groups. However sometimes like with Morning Musume groups crash and burn after being successful. This post is basically on what I think factors into popularity as well as speaking about why primarily Momusu is a flop group now. I realize that this is a wall of text and not as coherent as I would want it to be but I hope it gets you thinking despite its faults.
Idols
This is the most important thing. The girls you pick will shape how people view your group and you chances of having a popular group.
An idol doesn’t necessarily need to be pretty. What a perfect idol is to me is a girl who has a great personality which goes perfectly with how they look. Sometimes there are girls who have everything working perfectly together. I don’t mean to say beauty doesn’t help because we all know Ai-chan was more boring than Manoeri’s music.
I don’t think having pretty girls has anything to do with popularity as in it can help but just because you have pretty girls doesn’t guarantee success. After all I have seen indie groups with pretty girls and they don’t sell a thing.
Also blaming Tsunku for letting quality girls go that would have saved H!P and added 10000k to sales is the dumbest logic I have ever seen. Fine if you wanted these girls in H!P, but if you wanted them there because they were mega stars and way better than Aika lol no. See H!P is unpopular. A group like AKB which some of those H!P rejects auditioned for and got in is not.
It’s like this. I have a small boutique. It has the best fucking clothes in the world. All designer, couture details just amazing and beautiful in every way. Now there’s huge chain of stores. They don’t really care about the quality of things, they just want them pretty and stylish to appeal to the public. These clothes don’t sing compared to my designer brands, they don’t sing at all. Yet because they are popular, dominate the market and market themselves well they will sell well and my clothes while better or nicer in some ways don’t. I can sell whatever I want in my boutique but the quality of the clothes won’t matter to people even if they are the best in the world. If I put my works in that chain store people will appreciate them but otherwise they don’t give a fuck if it wasn’t in that chain store.
It doesn’t matter how great your girl is if she doesn’t have the exposure. She can be gorgeous, charming and talented while other “less deserving” girls shine in another group. Those girls probably only got as popular because they were lucky to get into AKB at the right time or AKB helped them gain fans. Being put in another group wouldn’t have helped them.
H!P has a lot of girls that I would qualify as quality idols. They are very beautiful in a mainstream way or have a pleasant quirkiness and character that exemplifies idol. Manoeri, MEIMI, Dawa, Kanon, Momoko, Risako(if she never ate again because wota are stupid and can’t handle the fact that Risako is beautiful the way she is), Miyabi(okay she looks like a horse but a sexy horse many would want to ride /lame and she has this cute gyaru feel which I think girls can enjoy), Maimi, Airi, Reina(a bit too old now), and Sayu(a bit too old now) all are quality idols. Don’t get butthurt if your favourite isn’t there some of mine aren’t either. These are the girls I think have mainstream appeal.
I have no doubt that these girls if they were in AKB could climb the ranking because they have a great quality which can appeal to people. They would be way better off leaving H!P and auditioning for AKB because AKB is popular and H!P is a flop group. So I guess what I am saying is that it doesn’t really make sense to say LOOK AT WHAT YOU LOST OUT ON TSUNKU YOU FUCKING MORON when if these girls were actually in H!P they would just be floating along the merry S.S H!P flop boat praying for it not to sink. It is the opportunities the girls are given more so than the quality or mainstream appeal of the girl that makes her successful. If Yukirin couldn’t show her naisu breasts and body off as much I doubt she would be so popular because she doesn’t have the typical look the public goes for so AKB is perfect for her since they rely heavily on gravure to help promote their group. I’m not hating, I’m just saying.
There’s also another thing that can help or ruin your group. It’s stability. Stability is a double-edged sword. If you change like Morning Musume you run the risk of losing all of your fans because most likely casual fans will leave when the girls they like do. However especially with female idols I think stability is a bad thing. When girl idols get old they aren’t wanted in the same way any more. When you get older a pure image is hard to keep I think that it’s inevitable that the group or certain girls will feel stale in some way. I don’t have a clue about male idols but from what I see people don’t give a shit about their ages. Would people still love Morning Musume if they were still releasing music and had never graduated members? I don’t know. I highly doubt it.
This will sound creepy so I’m warning you in advance. I think the fun thing about idols is watching them grow. I think there’s something very beautiful about a teenage girl. They are young and arguably it is the period where they will reach a certain peak with their beauty. Older women are gorgeous too and have their old charms so don’t get me wrong but to me there’s a softness in their skin that they will never have again in their life and something absolutely adorable about the fullness of their face. Beyond that there’s a naivety and positive outlook which I think you lose after you become an adult. When you become an adult whether you like it or not you have to become mature and responsible. You don’t have that carefree personality anymore because you can’t have it.
That’s why I enjoy young girls. It’s fun to take that journey with them and through their youth. You have this nostalgic feeling and can follow them through their happy journey into adulthood. However there comes a time where some girls are just there. It’s not that I don’t love them around, it’s just that they have become stagnant. They have honed their craft and have become perfect but that’s not what idols are. They are not supposed to be perfect. You can’t take that journey with a girl if she’s already reached the destination point. When she’s an adult it’s just not as fun. Or I should say it’s different. They deal with mature things. When they’re a kid they dream of getting married but when they’re an adult they actually do get married and have babies. There’s a different focus. Whether or not they lived for being an idol they don’t appear to when they get older. Also I think kids can get away with more and have quirkier concepts because they are young and society allows them to act like that.
What I’m saying is that you have two options. You can keep the lineup and let the girls grow up or you can replace the girls with younger ones. Personally I think either way you are screwed. Pretty much any group or solo artist will reach a certain amount of popularity and it will fade. It’s not surprising, it just happens.
Eventually you will lose your popularity if you don’t adapt in some way. I don’t feel like the music in Momusu is that great. There’s great ideas but I feel like the songs never quite make something I would call a good song. So I think the best thing that they could do is change the members. It mightn’t appeal to the same crowd but it’s better than having old members rotting there with shit music.
Genre
Is it sexy or cute? When you make a group you pick a girl according to what you want the public to see. Most of this is very superficial and it doesn’t matter how hard working or talented the girls are because really people only care about pretty girls. So anyway based on those girls you pick you can give them an image or they will already have one that would go best with their looks. I think if you have a group that is all cute or a group that is all sexy it doesn’t affect anything.
Now at this point it might seem confusing to you what I am saying because Japan loves its kawaii lolis but I think when you play extremes you are ultimately going to fail. When you play extremes you are only going to appeal to a small audience. Of course you will make money because wota will support you but you won’t necessarily have what it takes to get the public interested.
What needs to be done for maximum profit and popularity is to pick an array of girls. For example what attracts boys to a group and what attracts girls to a group might be an entirely different type of idol. As well some people don’t want a loli princess like Mayuyu and if you only have Mayuyus in a group well then some people will avoid it because nothing appeals to them. That’s why you need girls like Kaoru, Mariko, Yukirin, Sae, Sayaka, Tomochin and Miichan.
Picking only the girls that will be popular won’t enhance your group. I am not going to say I absolutely loved every member that Morning Musume has had. Did I enjoy them? Yes, of course. However I can’t say some of them were my favourites and it’s been clear that throughout the years there are girls that are “duds”. You probably know who I am talking about right away. The “ugly” girls like Makoto and the more masculine or strong girls like Gaki who won’t be what wota ideally want. They just won’t appeal as well as someone like Airi who is a perfect idol. But as I said a good group doesn’t necessarily have the best girls. They have all sorts of girls and the beautiful thing is seeing their personalities play off each other. That’s where the magic happens. Otherwise the group will be boring like S/mileage was because it was too perfect. After a while no one is going to care about a boring group so that’s why variety is important.
Quality
I’m not saying that quality has nothing to do with the releases sales and popularity because it does. I just don’t think that it would impact it that. Okay so if I have a group that puts effort into their releases and makes great songs then yes that will probably help them have a solid fanbase and they might attract fans that way but really I don’t think it’s necessary.
You only have to look at one of Japan’s popular artists and most likely there will be a lack of effort. A lot of people can’t sing and dance at all and there is an overwhelming amount of cheapness and unoriginality. This applies to PVs, songs and packaging. Now I don’t mean to say that nothing good ever comes out of Japan because a lot of my favourite singers come from there and I truly feel like the music they make is incredibly beautiful. I mean it in general.
I think this is because when I look at Japan as opposed to other places there is a strong idol culture. This means that the idol is more important than other factors. AKB can lipsynch, dance terribly and release mediocre songs because people love the girls. In Japan as I said it doesn’t rely on their talent or their songs. People will eat it up no matter what and support the idols despite everything being ridiculously overpriced and halfassed. So yeah it’s not important at all.
Marketing
In my opinion everything comes down to marketing and the connections you have. This is what will make you popular. Not just having pretty girls or great music and exceptional PVs. All of this takes a back seat compared to marketing and connections. Especially the connections. If you don’t have the connections you won’t get anywhere.
When I look at AKB it’s generic. The schoolgirl theme is as basic as it gets. However they have great ideas such as thousands of girls, theatre shows, a heavy emphasis on gravure, elections, and Janken tournaments that really helps promote the group and stands out. Plus they like to try and prevent other girl groups from promoting or getting #1 on Oricon lololol. That goes a long way because it doesn’t allow the public to find something else and ensures AKB’s popularity.
The bottom line is that all idols are lovable. It depends on your preferences but most people can look at a group and find a girl that they like. So really most groups have the potential to be popular but they lack something. I think it’s marketing. There’s so much competition in Japan that it’s not easy to get attention. You need to get the public’s attention and keep it there.
Inevitability
There is a formula to all of this. We will always have a group A who is popular and a group B who is not. Group A will experience popularity for a while and then something happens. Members leave or they keep producing terrible singles or there’s just too much exposure and the public tires of them. When group A starts falling it’s not much at first. They will still have the public’s support and many love them. However the public wants more obviously since the group is not selling as well. They are looking for the new, better thing that is different from what they are used to seeing. So this is where group B comes in. Chances are it’s something completely different from group A and more and more people discover it and eventually it replaces group A whiles group A eventually slinks down to where group B was. It’s just the way things will inevitably go. There’s nothing that can be done to prevent it.
Now group A is screwed. They are probably still doing well in terms of money because some hardcore wota won’t toss their girls away like trash and they will still bring in some new fans every now and then. That’s really not a problem. The thing is if they want to be popular again there’s virtually no chance of that happening. Why I say this is because the public has already fallen out of love with them for a reason. They don’t care about them anymore.
Plus there’s the whole cool factor. People are sheep. They want to blend in and they want people to approve of them. What’s popular is okay to like but what is not popular is not okay to like. It’s like if I went around telling people my favourite group was Hanson they would probably give me the biggest side eye. Times change, views change, fashion changes and what was cool in one period probably isn’t anymore. No kid would be caught dead playing with Pogs, they want an iPad now. You probably laugh your ass off at NKOTB and BSB for coming back and this is exactly what H!P is doing all of the time.
So no I don’t think Hello Project is ever going to be popular again but I don’t have a problem with that. I love them for what they are. I don’t need them to be a number one best seller. Just as long as they keep being what they are I am happy. Of course like many others I do worry about what happens when they reach the point where it’s not feasible for the company to keep going. But when I think about it there are many smaller groups that never sell what the H!P artists sell and they still exist. I think many people underestimate how much they make. Anyway I do realize that they won’t exist my whole life but it doesn’t matter. Nothing lasts forever. I will ride the wave as long as they exist and when they leave I will cherish the great memories I have of them.
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Since Yuukarin(RIP still not over it :’( ) left the idol world I’ve been worried about S/mileage’s sales. Sometimes a really popular member makes the group’s sales. Their sales for Chotto Matte Kudasai were pretty good considering the circumstances. However they are basically starting over and to get new fans at this point they are going to have to be more creative. Then I heard that their new single was called Dot Bikini and was like oh here we go. Of course. Lolis and bikinis is always a winning combination. But actually when I first heard the song and watched the PV it was quite cute and not so sexual. I really love it, you guys.
The song is probably my favourite S/mileage song. Now this is what I want in a song. It flows effortlessly without random hooks coming from nowhere and sounds cohesive. I don’t want to hear a song that sounds like I am listening to 20 at once. It’s extremely sweet sounding and I am a sucker for that type of lighthearted music. Plus the chorus is so catchy and will definitely be stuck in my head forever. It perfectly suits my tastes and I couldn’t be happier. I also love the way the song builds up into this happy moefest. I couldn’t care less about the line distribution. It’s obvious that Kanana and Rina are the girls who are not going to appeal to audiences the best so it doesn’t bother me that they take a back seat just as long as it doesn’t go too far. After all they probably don’t care either and are just happy to have the wonderful opportunity to breathe Meimi’s air. The song is great no matter who sings it.
There’s not much going on in the PV but I really don’t care. It’s simple but nicely done. This really is the perfect single for summer. It feels fresh, happy and makes you want to go out in the sun.
We start off with Dawa holding a seashell and putting it up to her ear. She hears the sound of sea and with that she smiles at the thought of lolis in bikinis dancing around a room. Because that’s where everyone’s mind goes when we hear the sea, am I right?
I like this part a lot. It’s nice to build up to the bikinis.
I was pleasantly surprised by how tasteful the bikinis were. H!P at heart is a softcore company and that’s probably why I like it so much. I don’t know it’s not that I’m opposed to nudity or skimpy clothing(I love SDN so of course I don’t hate it XD) but I really don’t like seeing little girls running around with nothing on. It’s not necessary. I feel slightly uncomfortable when it’s done. Especially really sexy shoots. D: These aren’t showing off too much and you can get the idea. I think the outfits are super cute and I like that they chose red. It looks great on all of the girls.
Dawa… You are jumping in a closeup shot. Next time think. New S/mileage is so derpy and awkward. I can’t with them sometimes.
Oh look a pool. Why don’t you actually go in it? That’s what bikinis are for!
This set is adorable. Look at the little cow and giraffe. Isn’t that super cute? It feels really girly and summery. I’m glad they did something to dress it up instead of just leaving it looking like a boring box.
Derpy little cuties.
Cheap but it adds more layers to the PV. Plus I understand that H!P will never be flying girls over to some beautiful place and renting out a helicopter to make a PV so it satisfies me.
Anyway cute girls and props is always a win.
I love these scenes too. I really enjoy all of the negative space and the blue makes the red and cream pop. Good job H!P person who doesn’t suck at visual elements like the rest of the hired people.
I love you.
And you too. Look at that adorable eye smile. But who are you? Are you in S/mileage or something? You were only in the video for 1 second.
Not you though but maybe one day. I have to admit she’s growing on me a little. You know I was ready to rip into Rina for her personality again but then I realized that that’s probably the point of her. To keep cracked out S/mileage more grounded.
You would have to watch PV to get what I am saying and if you did you’ll notice that she has a very quiet and reserved feel. Like she smiles but it doesn’t seem idol-esque and over the top. Even when she’s dancing she’s very stiff and reserved. Instead of hating it though I am kind of finding it charming it a way. She’s nice in a girl next door way. There’s something very pleasant about the unpolished feel she has.
Akari’s face is priceless. I’m so glad H!P let a man in the door again. Yossie and mini Tsunku Chisa are long gone and I miss a girl who has a really boyish feel.
Bless you for not caring about your image. Please keep being boisterous.
If anyone stands out in this PV it is Kanon. Yuukarin died so Kanon could live. If she was still here she would just be staring at the camera smiling the whole time looking dead inside but moe.
Look at how spot on this hbic is. Pardon the bad screenshot but if you watch this in motion it is the most perfect thing ever. Kanon knows exactly what being an idol is. It helps that she was born with perfect features but as I said like with Yuukarin it doesn’t necessarily make a super top-tier idol if you don’t have the personality for it. Kanon knows she has to appeal to the guys and be a super loli queen and she always executes it so well. You can tell she tries really hard but makes it look effortless. She mixes up her poses and expressions so much that’s it’s not possible to get bored of her. Tyra would be proud. Seriously the girl has the ability to make all of the stupid things idols do look amazing.
“Here is a plastic ball. I look cute don’t I? I’m going to drop it over my groupmate’s head soon but for now you can bask in my quirky idol beauty.”
“Here I am holding some plastic fruit which makes no sense but don’t I look good with it?”
“Look at my cute pout. Please imagine we will be a couple one day. Make me your oshi and buy all of my merchandise. In fact buy at least triples of everything. You can never have too much of me. I love you.”
Dawa is so pretty. I could stare at her for hours.
But look what they did to my precious Dawa. Unacceptable.
Yeah I bet it’s every teenager’s dream to look this sexy. Okay I’m liking Rina for deciding not to dance this stupid move correctly.
I have no idea what the fuck they were thinking with the choreography. Some is nice and I love it but some of it is super weird. It’s awkward as hell to watch because it’s all out of synch at some parts and I’m not used to seeing that from H!P. I know it’s intentional because H!P prides itself on having fairly well trained girls but it makes everything looks sloppy instead of fun. Not only that but these moves. No. It looks like they all needed to pee but some couldn’t hold it any more.
Here it looks like she has to take a dump during the middle of the dance.
I’m not one for cheap effects but I don’t know I kind of like the shitty Ms Paint effects. I feel like H!P wouldn’t be H!P with out something tacky like this and it doesn’t detract that much from the overall video.
You know I couldn’t leave out my yaeba princess. MEIMI. ;A; God she is perfect.
HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE THIS SINGLE? Look at her. LOOK. She’s the cutest thing ever. This whole single could be a piece of shit and I wouldn’t even care if the PV was mostly Tsunku dancing around naked because Meimi is flawless.
All in all this single is perfection. There is not a single flaw to be found. It’s so adorable that I don’t know how anyone could hate it. Your mother could have died and your house could have burned down but there is no way you could stay upset after watching this. It’s the cutest thing I have ever seen in my life.
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