Non-H!P Favorite Artists

This is a post about my favorite Japanese artists outside Hello! Project. I tried to organize them by the order I met them, but in some cases I'm not so sure, especially the first ones... I've only included groups I've been listening to for a while, some that I've been listening to more recently like a bunch of Johnny's, Gackt, ZARD and Every Little Thing I decided to leave for the future.
 

Do as Infinity

Do as Infinity
This was my very first Japanese group. Don't say bad things about them here. Anyway... Tomiko doesn't have, let's say, Hikki's vocal skills, but I love her voice, so just ignore that <3 I think half my Japanese vocabulary could have come from memorizing lyrics to songs from DAI... I don't listen to them much nowadays though, mainly because I have so many new things to try...
Recommended songs: Fukai Mori, Oasis, Heart, Tookumade

Utada hikaru

Utada Hikaru
Utada is the eternal Queen of J-Pop for me, no one can convince me of the contrary <3 I can't stand Koda Kumi, and there's very few songs I listen to from Ayumi Hamasaki. I'm with Hikki all the way. I can't even tell how it all started, I don't remember anymore, but she's been my favorite for as long as I listen to J-Pop. I love her PVs, they're always creative and probably with large budgets... Only thing I could say against her is that I don't like her with short hair, and that her looks in her MTV Unplugged are the best ever in this Earth, but in the end, it's her writing and vocal talents that matter <3<3<3 And then SHE DID THE THEME FOR REBUILD OF EVANGELION!!! <3<3<3<3<3 The BEST of the anime world with the BEST of J-Pop world makes me VERY VERY MUCH HAPPY YAAAY! =DDD Anyway, better stop here or this is quickly going to turn into an evangelion blog...
Recommended songs: First Love, Sakura Drops, COLORS, Can you keep a secret?, Addicted to you

L'arc~en~Ciel

L'arc~en~Ciel
I stumbled on L'arc, like was the case with most of the first groups I found, by an anime. In this case, I never watched said anime, but I saw the opening. Driver's High, from GTO. From then on, it's been love. In fact, Japanese music for me has L'arc, Morning Musume and Utada Hikaru at the top, in an order I'll probably never figure out but keep trying anyway. I love hyde. I love how he acts cool but forgets his lyrics once every concert and sometimes says some funny stuff. I like every member of the band. Don't ask me why, I don't know, I probably have a mind crazier than Tsunku's, but I always associated L'arc with Hana Yori Dango. To be more specific, with the four main male characters in HYD. For me, hyde was like Tsukasa, Yukihiro was like Rui, tetsu was like Akira and ken was like Sojiro. I mean, that's how I imagined their personalities to be, back when I'd never seen them talking anywhere. I still think hyde remembers Tsukasa.
Recommended songs: Jojoushi, Flower, winter fall, Niji, Pieces

X-JAPAN

X-Japan
First it was all about Forever Love <3 That song made the X-1999 anime movie for me - I mean, it was the only thing I liked - and is still one of my favorite songs ever. I still prefer their slower songs. However, their visual kei look scared me. That made me ignore them for quite some time, but the day came when I had to recognize their brilliance. About the same day I got into Malice Mizer, but that's another story.
Recommended songs: Forever Love, Dahlia, Kurenai, Silent Jealousy, Tears

the Indigo
Found it through an anime. "Under the Blue Sky" was the ending theme in Mahou Tsukai Tai. Funny that, watching a little known anime I found a little known J-Pop group, and liked a lot both of them.  I'd love to be wrong, please someone tell me in the comments I'm not alone with the Indigo, but I've never seen it mentioned anywhere... I can't even find a higher quality picture to put up here, but small covers are all I have.  And it's such good music <3 All beautiful, calm songs, great to rest my mind <3 I wish I could find more PVs. Namoshirenu was also in another anime, Ai Yori Aoshi, but in that case I only like the song.
Recommended songs: Under the Blue Sky, Pain, Feel Like Makin' Love (suite mix), Toikake, Namoshirenu

Malice Mizer

Malice Mizer
It doesn't feel very right to write about Malice Mizer in an H!P blog. They're, for me, the most extreme opposites there could be. Not different, like apples and oranges, but extremes that can't get together, like electrons and positrons. H!P is almost happiness all around, and there's nothing of that in Mizer. There's only beautiful goth music. If I had found this at the same time I got into Phantom of the Opera, God knows what would be of my life today. Quite different. I think I'll never forget the one and only concert I've seen from them. Masterpiece.
Recommended songs: Syunikiss ~Nodo me no Aito~, Brise*, Au Revoir, Gekka no Yasoukyoku
*fans of FFVIII, notice the costumes

Southern All Stars

Southern All Stars
I first heard their Katte ni Sindbad in Uta Doki!, and was instantly convinced to look for more from them. Itoshi no Eri closed the deal (useless trivia: Wikipedia says Eririn got her name because her father loves this music). They're what I'm listening to the most right now. I still haven't got through 1/3 of their discography I guess, but I hardly find anything I don't like, so that should change very fast. I like how they're still around having success, and haven't really changed their style much. Love the pirate outfits in this PV. Glad to see age hasn't taken their humor.
Recommended songs: Tsunami, Katte ni Sindbad, Itoshi no Eri, Bye Bye My Love (U are the one)

SharanQ

SharanQ
As should be expected, I got to know SharanQ through Tsunku and Morning Musume. Never really cared to look for them, until I watched the original ASAYAN audition, and got to that conclusion most wotas probably had once in their life. That is, that Freud would've been very interested in meeting Tsunku. Quite a crazy man, with an unique mind and reasoning style. Like saying only that Nacchi "holds the mic very well" and then passing her immediately without more comments. But still a genius with lots of talent. So I decided to search for SharanQ stuff. Only found YouTube videos and a 2006 concert though, and Tsunku is already showing some age side effects on the latter. Still good though, will watch it throughly when I have time. Just looked at my favorite songs until now. I like the weird keyboard player, err... *goes at theppn* Taisei, that's the one. He wears a nice pair of horns in the concert footage I've already seen. Hatake's hair style is also interesting, my mother saw him when I was watching an ASAYAN episode and thought he was she. I can't really blame her. Anyway, I love them now, and I'm looking for more old stuff... Current Tsunku singing iiwake just doesn't do it for me, he's lost half the coolness. That adds a different feel to the song, which isn't bad for itself, could grow on me... But not yet.
Recommended songs: iiwake, Zurui Onna, 上・京・物・語, Single Bed

PS - I've just finished posting this and noticed that I forgot Luna Sea, but I'm too lazy to write about them now. So, yeah, they're on my favorites too...

Comments

[投稿情報: wu-san]

thanks for 'the indigo' link, as I'm really interested to find out more, and listen to more...I'll try and find those recommended songs.

I've corrected intlwota post now cheers.

SharanQ seems quite fitting eh :P

[投稿情報: HarimaKenji]

Well, I've uploaded the recommendations here on Vox, the names are all links. Here is a torrent with their albums on jpopsuki. I'm surprised it still had seeders. If you can find PVs or, well, anything else from them, send me a message =P

[投稿情報: Henkka]

Interesting list HarimaKenji, though I can't say I'm really into any of these bands you listed, except for X-Japan a little and a few random tracks from Utada Hikaru.

Would you mind if I stole the idea for this post from you? :) I think I'd like to make a list like this for my blog, too. Though not quite yet, maybe in a few days or so..

[投稿情報: HarimaKenji]

Sure not, I'll be waiting for your list. Truth is, you had already said something about doing a list like this on one of your posts yesterday, so you could even say I was the one who stole it =P although I hope you do not think that, and I had been working on this list for a while already...

[投稿情報: wu-san]

I'm a little suprised that JPOPSUKI had some seeders for 'the indigo' too. Thanks for linking that aswell, saved me minutes of clicking there :P

They remind me of Sakamoto Maaya, who I simply adore, and thats just for Maaya alone. As for her songs, I think I only really like 40% of her work, but the ones I like, I really like.

Sure, I'll keep an eye out for those PVs.

[投稿情報: HarimaKenji]

Oh, Maaya, I loved her Gravity, ending theme for Wolf's Rain. I downloaded that whole anime series once, but I never really felt like going through more than 3 episodes of that. But that single song made me not hold a grudge against that anime. I also like Shimokawa Mikuni, not sure if you'll know her, she always worked on Full Metal Panic! series, all 3 seasons... I like her Minami Kaze.

[投稿情報: wu-san]

Ah, sorry for late reply, I've been busy. It's great that you're a bit of a Maaya fan, even if it's only for Gravity, but Gravity is a great song so I'm with you on that one. I've heard mixed reactions about wolf's rain. Some love it to bits, some hate it.

Have you head of an anime called my:Hime? I'm just starting to get through it, think I'm on episode 3. Not sure if it's any good really, but it seems ok.

thanks for the Shimokawa link...I think the guitarist is pretty cool. Looks like my dad.

 

[投稿情報: HarimaKenji]

I didn't like My Hime... In fact, I decided it was time to stop with anime and start going the wota way after watching it. Not that it was that bad =P But really, I've seen better things. The best I can say about it is that the art was nice... But the plot was nothing special and never got anywhere. Maybe I'm being too hard on it, but My Hime is in a genre I'm really picky about, the Fantasy one. And I've seen the genre's cliches way too many times to bother with anything too far from perfection... Oh, that's the real reason I don't watch so many animes nowadays, and don't play too many games, after I pass so much time doing something I start expecting too much of it... Well, if you like it, try Fate/Stay Night one of these days, preferably the subbed version from eclipse, they're always the best <3