Harimakenji's blog

ZOMG SHUFFLES YAA~Y!!1!

Taken from Hello Non-Pro Hour, read here. Well, there's nothing to say these are really shuffle units, but let's dream.  They're groups who will be doing something, whatever that might be. Some comments on each of them::

2/11/08 Sapporo
Nakazawa Yuko, Abe Natsumi, Aya Matsuura, and Melon Kinenbi

I'm sure this one will be my favorite right away. Yasuda should be here though. I don't care for Melon Kinenbi, but they will fit well in this group. As I'm looking through all the names, this looks like it'll be the adult group... I think they should do a ballad with 80% vocals from Yuko/Nacchi/Ayaya.

2/17/08 Osaka
Nigakii Risa, Kusumi Koharu, Mitsui Aika, Jun Jun, and Lin Lin

I have hope Gaki and Jun Jun will save this one for me. I'm afraid this might have a childish song with mainly Koha/Mitsui vocals, little chance I'd like that. History says you can't expect Gaki to have much of the spotlight in anything -_- This is the group I'm not sure if I'll like.

2/23/08 Fukuoka
Yoshizawa Hitomi, Konno Asami, Shimizu Saki, Tokunaga Chinami, Sudou Maasa, Kumai Yurina, and Sugaya Risako

Yossie and KonKon. That alone does it for me. Also some Berryz girls I can recognize, but no Momoko, so nothing to say on that. I'll like this one no matter what, but I'm waiting for the Berryz ones to surprise me and maybe make this a perfect shuffle.

3/1/08 Tokyo
v-u-den, Ayaka Kimura, Mai Satoda, and Maeda Yuki

I don't know about this one. Well, it has Ayaka. But Rika will be in the spotlight anyway, so that will not save this for me. I don't know most of them, so I'll just have to wait and see what happens...

3/2/08 Tokyo
Inaba Atsuko and Berryz Koubou

Inaba and Kids? Who was the idiot who made this up? Put poor Inaba in the Elders unit, for God's sake! What's the deal with mixing Elders and Kids? It's obvious they should be doing completely different kinds of music... Or is that just me? Anyway, I have nothing against both of them, and it looks like this is the one Momoko is in, so I'm looking forward to it. But Inaba is wasted here.

3/8/08 Nagoya
Yasuda Kei, Yaguchi Mari, and °C-ute

Another "God knows what they're smoking" unit... Yaguchi and Kids, nothing new about that, but why Yasuda? Send her to that first group, come on -_-

3/9/08 Nagoya
Yasuda Kei, Yaguchi Mari, Takahashi Ai, Kamei Eri, Michishige Sayumi, and Tanaka Reina

Ohhh, I love this <3 Many of my favorite members together, this can probably work perfectly <3 I only think someone should remember whoever will be organizing this groups that Yasuda isn't doing much lately and Kamei can sing, so Aichan should have, at most, 50% of the lines. Or some fans could get angry.

Taking a week off to play

Things have been silent around here lately, first because of my exam this last Sunday, and now something else came up. I recently - yesterday - started playing Shin Megami Tensei Persona 3, a great RPG for the PS2, something that doesn't appear very frequently. Good RPGs are rare nowadays... Anyway, until I finish it I probably won't do anything H!P-related, so I should be away for a week or so.

See you all later~

Alo! Hello Favorite Moments

I thought of doing a post with my favorite parts of the Alo/Love Hello DVDs I've already watched (Konno Asami, Takahashi Ai, Abe Natsumi, Yaguchi Mari, Niigaki Risa, Michishige Sayumi, Tanaka Reina), and from that I got to this to 3. Konkon was disqualified, her Alo! Hello will get a full post one of these days. If anyone hasn't seen them already, I've uploaded them to Veoh for you to watch, except Sayu's one that was already on YouTube.

Online Videos by Veoh.com

03 - Gaki
This one really surprised me... Gaki-san was just walking in the beach and this Argentinian starts talking to her. Now, Argentina is a neighbor country, I've already met some people from there traveling, and they're nice and open people, but going talk to a stranger who's being filmed with no specific reason... She looked amused by the surprise. I always found interesting how Japanese people never seemed to notice them during those Haromoni@ episodes when they were just walking on the street and doing stupid deliveries. They used to put the camera in front of the girls, so you could see the people behind, and I used to try to find someone looking or following them, but never happened....

02 - Sayu
This is Sayu's solo version of Aruiteru. No matter what most probably think of her singing ability, I think it's cute <3 I also like her Namida ga Tomaranai Houkago performance in the Hong Kong Fan Club Tour. It's a pretty long bridge...

Online Videos by Veoh.com

01 - Kamei
Unfortunately, there was a problem in a certain part of the video and I had to cut it, I think my download was corrupted. Lost some seconds in the beginning, please bear with it.
Poor Kamei... She looked so afraid going up those stairs... I wonder why she didn't just give up right there? It's obvious this place isn't going to be good business, even if it's the cheapest she could find. Oh, probably because if she did that this great segment wouldn't exist... Kamei, ganbatte! God, who could stay in this place? That lock isn't helping it look any more hospitable. And she gets impressed by how few things there are in the room. Looks like it's back to looking for another place to stay, but she takes some sad-looking photos before that.

Online Videos by Veoh.com

Honorable Mention
Reina's was the first one I watched... It's a good thing this shopkeeper is a nice guy, he knows a little Japanese and they could communicate well... I like when she's surprised because the machine opens =D

My God, Eri...

Online Videos by Veoh.com

Shabondama performance taken from the Odore! Morning Curry 2006 tour. For some reason, it took me a whole year and Aika's recommendation for me to find this gem. She chose this as her favorite performance, and now I'm starting to like her more. We have something in common. Anyway... I love Kamei here. Impressive dancing skills. She really got into the music, this isn't kawaii Kame-chan. I particularly like her look in this part:

Kawaii Eririn?

I don't like to say this, but Shabondama's monologue still has to be Rika. Kamei is not there yet. Nothing can be perfect... Now, let me go hunt this concert in H-O...

More Konkon!

Ongaku Gatas - Yattarouze (PV Dohhh Up Version)
Uploaded by AlcA-Lyn

Just finished watching Ongaku Gatas' new PV, "Yattarouze!". Some first impressions on it:

• The beginning and the ending of this PV really surprised me. They're actually in their uniforms, playing soccer! Why didn't anyone think of that before?
• But it seems that they didn't like the idea too much, since they gave up on it and made it just small sections.
• I don't have a clue about what's going on, and I don't think there's much for me to understand as in a "story" for this PV. They're playing... and then they're falling... and dancing in a forest with other costumes... what, uniforms again? falling from the sky? =/
  
• But I don't really care for all that story thing, since I can see Konkon in most shots <3 Yaaay!
  
• I think the shots are well distributed, it's only my vision that focus on Konkon. Not that I can actually recognize any of the Eggs... *no offense intended to their fans*
  
• I'm curious to see what will be the reaction to all the use of CG in the background here.
• I like the costumes <3 Although I'm still waiting a PV with the uniforms.
• Really like the music. Their definitely keeping the quality.
• I may be getting used to Rika.

Morning Musume Members Ranking

For me, a H!P blog isn't a H!P blog without a member ranking post. Since I'll be writing about all these idols, I think it's necessary to give an idea of what I think about each of them. I want to remember this isn't intended to offend anyone, and that regardless of ranking I love all of them. At least up to Kaorin. I'll be ranking all Morning Musume members from first to current line-up. Other groups don't enter here because I don't know them enough; although I do like plenty of C-ute and Berryz songs, the only members who would have a fair chance in this ranking would be Airi and Momoko. I'll show my ranking first and then examine each member separately. Here it is.

01 - Konno Asami
02 - Abe Natsumi
03 - Kago Ai
04 - Yoshizawa Hitomi
05 - Ogawa Makoto
06 - Michishige Sayumi
07 - Kamei Eri
08 - Takahashi Ai
09 - Yaguchi Mari
10 - Nakazawa Yuko
11 - Yasuda Kei
12 - Fujimoto Miki
13 - Tsuji Nozomi
14 - Niigaki Risa
15 - Tanaka Reina
16 - Iida Kaori
17 - Goto Maki
18 - Li Chun
19 - Ishikawa Rika
20 - Qian Lin
21 - Ichii Sayaka
22 - Fukuda Asuka
23 - Kusumi Koharu
24 - Mitsui Aika
25 - Ishiguro Aya

Konno Asami

Konno Asami
Her being my favorite makes it difficult to write something about her... I like practically everything she's in, so listing that is no good. She was my favorite from the beginning; eventually I started noticing other members, had other favorites for some time, but in the end it all comes back to her. *enters fanboy mode* She's the cutest thing to ever happen in H!P <3 I don't know if I should praise Tsunku for recognizing her potential or complain that he said Konkon was a failure. And she's intelligent enough to get into Keio, a top level university <3 And she's athletic, she knows karate <3 And it's always a pleasure cheering for her in games, because she tends to win or get close <3

Abe Natsumi

Abe Natsumi
To put it simply, looking at her makes me smile like an idiot =) I love her smile, her voice, and almost her whole solo career. Her ~Vansanc~ tour is one of my favorite H!P concerts... She also had some interesting characters in old skits, my favorite was Kawamochi-kun... It was so cute when she talked like a child and bumped into that bus stop...

Aibon

Kago Ai
God knows what goes on in your mind, Kago... I can understand having a boyfriend/getting pregnant, but not smoking. Even then, I can ignore that. I love old Aibon, doing her Gackt impersonation (almost best H!M Monomane ever T_T), singing Hina Matsuri! and just being cute. I'll hold on to that image, and pretend nothing happened.

Yoshizawa Hitomi

Yoshizawa Hitomi
One of the best leaders Morning Musume ever had - just can't take that title from Yuuko-san, no one can. She mastered the "cool" image like no one else. Love her personality. But what gets her this high on my list is her acting talent. Better yet, her participation in old H!M comedy skits. Her characters are gold, especially the foreigner girl and the devil. Glad to see she's still doing something after her graduation.

=D

Ogawa Makoto
Old man from Japan's cold rural side in those skits! The girl who, in one of her first appearances on H!M, in her first Monomane Battle, used a horse's mask! Funniest PB ever! She's a comedian genius. She gave those skits life again, at the time when Yasuda-obaachan wasn't appearing regularly anymore. If only she could return to Japan, reenter Morning Musume and definitely save Haromoni@... But that's asking too much, right? T_T

Michishige Sayumi

Michishige Sayumi
I'm still trying myself to understand how she climbed up my ranking like this. I couldn't stand her in the beginning. Now I find that I actually like some rare occasions where she performed solo... I once found her all-out cute act waaaay too exaggerated, but as I saw more and more videos with her, she showed a different side. "Dark" Sayumi. The one who'd get angry when someone said she wasn't that cute, who'd have frequent fights with Yuuko-san in Maido Ari, and who'd say this beautiful phrase in a recent Haromoni@. "My computer was my friend / But now I go out properly". That's so sad and beautiful T_T

Kamei Eri

Kamei Eri
And here's to the Queen of PBs! She first got my attention on Maido Ari, on PBs and, finally, on MorningBerryz's Kamei Worship Week. I never saw a picture of her that wasn't nearing perfection. She should be used more in Momusu's singles. She also has an interesting sense of humor and some promising drawing skills. I think a Kamei Eri customized T-Shirt with an original drawing should exist. That would make so much money they could keep doing PVs as good as Mikan for a long time... =P

Takahashi Ai

Takahashi Ai
Ribbon no Kishi <3<3<3 She didn't get the main role for nothing. Only Miki was comparable to Aichan in Ribbon, and still, Aichan is above them all. Just couldn't compete with the veterans Marcia-san and the other Takarazuka one. Interesting that she likes Takarazuka, she should join them after graduating H!P... I think she'll be OK as a leader, but I wanted Gaki-san in that position... She does get many lines, but I can't complain about their quality... Just that others aren't getting their chance too...

Yaguchi Mari

Yaguchi Mari
She made an unit on her own, and it sold like rice. She had the best outcome from a scandal, no doubt about that. She was kicked out of MM and stopped singing at concerts for some time, but still, she kept semi-active as an MC and appears at other programs. At least, she's more active than Yasuda. Where's Yasuda? Anyway... She has one of the strongest personalities in H!P, and looks like she can do anything well. I wish they had given her some funnier roles in those skits...

Nakazawa Yuuko

Nakazawa Yuuko
SOMEONE GIVE HER A DAMN CORNER ON HAROMONI@ NOW!... I don't think there's anyone that's more representative of H!P than her. Sure, there's the face of MM, Nacchi, but still... Nakazawa is the mother of H!P, and will always be for me. I remember in some program that showed 5th gen when they had just entered MM, meeting Yuuko for the first time. Konno later said "I got as nervous as when meeting Tsunku". That kind of respect from the other members is what I mean when I say "mother of H!P". With her personality, she has the gift to turn any talk into gold, and she NEEDS A CORNER SOMEWHERE TO DO JUST THAT, right?

Yasuda Kei

Yasuda Kei
Obaachan! <3 She was the one who made Haromoni Theater such a wonderful thing as it was =) It would be redundant to list all her characters here, so let's just say I love Yasuda-obaachan the most. She suffered a lot in Utaban, but those were the best episodes. I'd like to know what she's been doing lately, as in, since her graduation?

o.o

Fujimoto Miki
She's as far as a member can get from an idol image, without counting her scandal in this... I guess I like her for that. I love her voice: her solo career, and great performance in Ribbon no Kishi. She actually seemed to have too much fun in Ribbon, dragging Aichan around in the stage... And although Kamei is PB Queen, nothing can take the title of best PBs from Miki's Couer and Cheri ones. I can't choose between them. Not particularly fond of her other PBs though... I miss Mikitty T_T

I don't have much to say about these last members, so I'll make it short...

Tsuji Nozomi: pure random fun <3
Niigaki Risa: she was so funny with those pigtails >_< I want her singing more
Tanaka Reina: Reina, give up acting cute and go back the Yankee way.
Iida Kaori: I'm glad for her "scandal" ^_^ wish all good things to her and the baby.
Goto Maki: I liked her past image.
JunJun: LOL she ate that banana!
Ishikawa Rika: I can't make up my mind whether I like Rika or not, so I'll just leave her at the bottom for now.
Koharu: WHY did she have to release Balalaika? that'll never get out of my mind T_T anyway, I don't like her
LinLin, Aika, Ichii, Fukuda: nothing to say, haven't caught my eye.
Ishiguro: sorry, don't know her...

Introduction

Hello ^_^
I'm a 17 year old Brazilian Japanophile thinking of rambling endlessly about his favorite idols, music, anime, games and anything else that comes to his mind. Since my main interest now is on Hello! Project, that'll be the main theme. If you're interested in these topics and willing to spend some minutes in my blog, then please make yourself at home. Welcome.
About how this blog is going to turn out... Expect lots of rankings. Not only because they have been booming in popularity on H!P blogs recently and I'm just riding the trends... Well, there's that too. But the main reason why I love rankings is that they give opportunity to talk about a lot of small things that wouldn't fit in individual posts, but I still want to say anyway. And it's easier to structure the post, since there's really only two ways to do it: ascending or descending. That helps my slow writing pace greatly.
There might be lots of posts about some older things. While most people will be talking about latest releases, I might write about Ribbon no Kishi or Konkon's Alo! Hello one of these days. In fact, I'm planning these posts already. This is because I'm new to H!P, and so I've seen these things recently, or I just want to write about them.
I'm on college entrance exams period right now. Troublesome schedule all the way to the second half of next January. I might vanish one of these days and show up one week later. I'll try to be a frequent poster, though, and it won't take much effort since I don't have anything else to do (besides studying, of course).
That's all I have to say about the blog. I hope you'll like it, and thank you to those who decide to read it.

Oh, and notice that there's a comments area down here, right below this post. I love comments. See, in my conception, posts are dialogs and blogs are a big community. If you have anything to ask, go on ^_^