The Cinderella Effect ~ Part 2

**WARNING! The following post may contain extremely incoherent and illogical ramblings.

I couldn't hold back anymore. After multiple checkings on the status of my parcel and realizing it's nowhere near my country, I turned to YT for aid. My prayers were answered and someone (who deserve a whole truckload of thanks btw) put up a few clips from the musical!!! OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



I thought the first thing I would notice is Risa's unbelievably tall boots but noooooooo, what grabbed me earliest was how funny Gaki-san looked as she stared at the glass slipper she put on the ground XDDD I held my breath during the long silence that followed after she told Ai to come try it on. Ai was all ballerina stance when she slipped her foot inside. I totally cracked up when Risa did the "Ah har..." bit and put her head close to the slipper. I snickered again when she tilted her head gradually up to look at Ai.

While standing up, she placed her right hand on Ai's dress / hip (?). I wondered if she was gonna to rip off Ai's outfit. Now that would be an amazing scene :D I have to give Gaki-san props for pulling off the whole boyish / manly feel. I thought her hand movements were very good in portraying this.

Here comes the climax, the long-awaited hugging scene!! Are there more? I have no idea but this one already made me all giddy and high. I LOVED how Risa's fingers kinda pawed (I apologize for the lack of a better descriptive word) Ai's shoulder. The part where they broke apart slowly? I totally died. And the way Ai looked at Risa? I'm being laid to rest in a cemetery. XD

Their scary eye make-up kinda killed the moment for me but oh heck it, the entire part before was too good and made up for everything. I was going "WTH?" at Risa patting Ai's head :D I get the feeling that wasn't in the original script but Gaki-san forgot and did something she usually did to Ai. I'm sure I've seen her pat Ai's head like that somewhere before.



The singing was awesome!! Gosh, I CANNOT beginning to relate how much I love Risa's low singing voice. I've come to refer to that as the 'Prince-ly' singing voice. Watch out for 54 sec - 57 sec. When Risa slid her hand down Ai's arm before holding her hand? Priceless. I don't know if this was the scene Lolli was talking about but man, the resulting effect was too good. I could totally feel what Risa was feeling for Ai. Did I make any sense at all? LOL.

One thing that left me scratching my head was, how could Risa be chubby with all the stress that came along with the staging of this musical? Her face was like a little round ball especially in this clip :P Oooooh I HEART Risa's acting from 1 min 34 sec - 1 min 39 sec. She channeled the dejected, hopless and forlorn look so well! 1 min 57 sec, when they took each other's hand but had to let go after a while? I don't know why but I'm so fond of that scene. Risa joining in when Ai sang = BEAUTIFUL. I'm left speechless.

I wish I could see the rehearsal where they are dressed in their own clothes. Unfortunately UFA decided to make this a 2 disc instead of 3 disc product. ARGH, why didn't Risa kiss Ai's hand for real at the end? She only faked kissed her *pouts*



I couldn't wait to see C/C Cinderella Complex. I really like this song and was bummed that Risa wasn't in the original line-up. Hence this is one perf I was highly anticipating. When the curtains rose and the girls came up from a trap door (are those called trap doors?) the first person I noticed was Sayumi. Though she didn't evoke any reaction from me :P Next I saw Koharu and my thoughts were, "Wow she looks good with pants. That jacket is really nice on her too."

Finally I hit the jackpot! Risa flashed past. And when I say flashed, I mean flashed. It was a blink and you'll miss moment. I couldn't tear my eyes away from her after I determined her position. I was super engrossed in being captivated by how mesmerizing she was. That was until the appearance of Ai and her shocking hairdo XD

HOLY SHIZZLE GAKI-SAN!!!!!!!!!

Risa danced so well I think I started to get goosebumps at this point. Even if a fire was raging outside my door, I wouldn't leave the monitor till I finished watching her.

Eri looked...cute? It wasn't exactly the image I was hoping for since I like hawt Eri. But still she didn't disappoint. Did Sayumi's dancing improve? She sure had some nice moves. When Risa flicked her head at 1 min 24 sec? My head rolled off together with that move onto the floor. Hmmmm apparently Risa's abs aren't as gorgeous as they usually are nevertheless she's still incredibly hawt. Her Halloween eye liner and shadow didn't seem so bad now :P

*Sigh* I wanna see the talk portion at the end. I heard from a very reliable source (stefy) that when saying their Thank Yous, Eri made a mistake and Risa turned to make fun of her. She even snaked her arm almost around Eri's waist! Stefy even went as far to say that and I quote,"Gaki was like so sweet to her (Eri) and left Ai to one side. Gaki's a play girl!" This comment made me wanna see the musical even more. Hurry up and arrive my greatly beloved DVD, I can't survive another day without seeing you! *Boo Hoo Hoo*

The Cinderella Effect ~ Part 1

Why do I not have decent pictures of Risa in her prince get-up? *looks all over storage gadgets* Nope, natto. The hell?!?!? Pardon the language but I was pretty sure I did have at least a couple. If any kind souls could point me in the direction of where to find some (specifically a Lolli I know XD) that would be great. Better yet, zip it all in a folder so I can dl them (Gosh how can someone be this lazy? XD)

Like I wrote in the title, this is part one as I have not yet seen the actual DVD. Part 2 should be up after I view the DVD countless times. The holy package should arrive on Saturday 6th December 2008. Do I have to be this precise? YES! Cuz I'm gonna be waiting beside the post box for Mr Postie to arrive. In this case however, I'm guessing a van will pull up instead since I did choose express shipping.

While the days drag slowly by from now till then, I can only sustain myself by looking at the pictures I do have. These are mostly from the rehearsal. I don't think I've expressed myself here about my thoughts of Risa during rehearsal. If the word to describe Sayumi is hawt, then for Gaki-san it would definitely have to be droolsome.

I mean look at her!!! *gawks openly at Risa photos* That hair, it's so darn cool and boyish. Which is weird as a pony-tail isn't really supposed to be boyish. Anyway, it is for me and it makes her look so hawt and droolsome. I especially like all the TakaGaki interaction that will be present in the musical. As can be seen from the photos, there's gonna be a fair bit of hand holding. Oh dear god, why the lack of an on-stage kiss??? *Wails sorrowfully* If GAM can do it in a PV I'm sure TakaGaki can pull it off too. We are talking about two very professional entertainers here and Ai-chan did kinda proclaim her love for Risa in one of the MC dialogues from the current tour :D Here it is, see it to believe it.

Quoting SxY, who quoted OnDiet (I edited the language a little)

Morning Musume Resonant Live, 29th November 2008 Osaka (Night)

Topic : Niigaki Risa

Aichan talks about the 8 years being together with Gaki-san. The time they spent together is even more than that with their families and they know each other really well. Many things have happened in these 8 years and there were occasions where they quarreled.

Ai: Its embarassing to say this..but.. because there's Gaki-san, that's why I'm here. (Meaning, I can be here because of Risa's existence)

Apparently Risa took a few steps away from Ai after hearing that declaration as she got shy. But the leader called her sub-leader back and continued talking about how much Risa had helped her when she just became leader.

Awwwwwwww I can just imagine that scene on stage. It's surprising neither of the girls teared knowing how much of a cry baby they can be.

That line, the one Ai-chan uttered? It's amazing how it's almost identical to the line I put at the ending of this OPV. And I made it quite some time ago. Written in the stars, much? Okay, I have no idea what I'm typing at this point. I'm basically rambling now :P

I think 'Cinderella the Musical' will keep these 2 at the top of my fav pairings list for a LONG time.

Prince Christopher: What would you like to do after the dance?

Cinderella: How about we head back to your grand and very costly bedroom?

Prince Christopher: Ehhhhhhhhhhh~~! Nani x 3 ?!?!?

Cinderella: You know you want to.

Prince Christopher: USO!! *blushes madly*

Me: XDDDDDD

Love Story with A Letter

What comes to mind when you think of Sayumi? One word....HAWT!!! XDDD

Getting back on the right track, Michishige Sayumi (gawd even her name sounds and looks pretty) is one of the best female specimens in the Japanese entertainment industry. I might be completely biased about this but forgive me? :P I can't think straight whenever it comes to Sayu.

If you watch 'Love Story' (The hour long DVD) from the beginning, don't be misled by the first 5 minutes. The video gets better, once she loses that hairdo XD In my opinion, Sayumi looks the best with her hair down, as you can see from the clip below.

Sayu's English conversation in the DVD with some random man (He was probably attracted to her OR the camera XD)

Sayu: Let's go! Hi.

Man: You are model?

-Sayumin puts her ear closer-

Sayu: Ok ok ok.

Man: What is your name?

Sayu: EHHHH...Sayumi Michishige.

Man: Nice to meet you.

Sayu: Bye bye.

I found the way she said bye bye really cute ^^

One of my fave OPVs of the Michishige.

It's not from her latest PB (Love Letter) but all's good. My thoughts as I watched the video.

1. She's so milky white she looks good enough to eat XDDD
2. -Bikini scenes- @@
3. Cute with the plaits and oh so adorable in a jumper.
4. Wahhhhhh lucky swing!!!
5. Even a messy uniform transforms to something awesome when Sayu is the one wearing it.

To conclude this post, I shall rank my top 5 pictures from the 'Love Letter' photobook (There were more but limiting myself seemed a good idea in case I ended up posting > 80% of the book :P). This is worth every penny so if you haven't contributed to Sayu's pay packet, DO IT!!

Erm... after looking through the entire PB I ended up with 18 fav pics. I had to think real hard and make some tough decisions before settling on these 10 so... scratch the top 5 pics bit. It's gonna be top 10 now XD From 10th to 1st position they are:

10th

There's something about the way she looks at the camera. The expression in her eyes *dies* Oh and that lace material on her thigh? Very nice touch :P

9th

So cute, so innocent, so milky, so Sayumi ^^

8th

I love it when a girl is having fun.

7th

The emerald green bikini matches her skin tone beautifully.

6th

White dress with silky black tresses. Need I say more?

5th

Again with the look! I'm almost certain Sayu pawns the other members when it comes to making the 'you know you want me' expression.

4th

It's the jeans, and then her pose. Self touching works, every single time.

3rd

I was completely mesmerized by the top row rightmost pic. It channels a somewhat melancholic feel. Bottom row = cute feet = LOVE

2nd

Vast blue sky, endless green field, baseball gloves, Converse shoes. A lot of thought was put into this picture. Now why doesn't Risa get PBs like this?

And the Winner~! (1st)

Sayumi writing a letter. Don't you think it's the perfect shot for a PB named 'Love Letter'? Plus I can always pretend she's writing a love letter to Eri or Gaki-san :D

Cover Me, Cover You

I believe by now most of you MM fans should know about the November 26th release of the 'Cover You' album featuring songs written by Aku Yuu. When I first saw the tracklist I was thrilled! The main reason for my excitement was seeing Risa being featured prominently in 2 songs. The chibi devil at the back of my mind protests at the measly percentage (2 out of 14 songs is only 14.29%) but the chibi angel in me thank the powers that be. (Chibi angel and devil?!?! I think I've been affected by Sayumi's radioshow segment more than I realized XD)

A duet with Ai-chan (Wooooohoooo~~~ TakaGaki!!!) and a IBL reunion. Whether I will add this CD to my next online purchase hinges on the quality of these 2 songs. After scouring YT for the previews, I present you with...

街の灯り (Prince Christopher + Cinderella)

I don't think anyone can disagree that when TakaGaki sing together, the world stops turning. Okay, okay, so I'm exaggerating a little but their voices do mesh very well. They blend so beautifully together there are times when I can't tell who is the one singing. I like the string instrument beginning and the piano accompaniment. I love how Ai's voice is soothing while Risa's is distinct. The melody has a calming aura and the song is kinda touching even though I have no idea what the lyrics mean. I gotta search for the English translation when I have more time on my hands.

ジョニィへの伝言 (KameMame + 07)

I like the introduction bit of this song. It's odd that I can't hear anyone else other than Risa during the solo parts. Are Eri and Reina singing in a different manner? Or did Gaki-san get more lines? I guess I will have to wait until someone puts up the color-coded lyrics to find out. I adore how Risa has this deep and super sexy voice when she's singing. I can totally see why this is her fav song on the album cuz it's battling with the duet to be mine too. Oh and btw, who is this Johnny guy she's singing to? Assuming she is singing to him XD Like I said, I don't know what they are singing.

Pictures from the lyrics booklet?

The colorful art background is great! Koharu, Reina, Ai and Lin Lin look gorgeous. Sayumi could've looked awesome if she would just lose that huge-ass bow/ribbon. Aika and Jun Jun are alright. This must be one of the rare times Risa didn't get stuck with the worst hairdo. Not her best picture but I still love her (Tee hee). And Eri...well Eri... The award for the most Eeeky hairstyle goes to Kame-chan~~!! :P The granny bun is definitely my most hated style on any of the girls. And that's the only reason why she doesn't look as pretty as she usually does.

The complete tracklist:

1. Nagisa no Sinbad

2. Douni mo Tomaranai

3. Izayaka (Itsuki Hiroshi & Ai)

4. Pepper Keibu (ALBUM Version)

5. Shiroi Chou no Samba

6. Seishun Jidai

7. Ringo Satsujin Jiken

8. Romance (ALBUM Version)

9. Machi no Akari (Ai & Risa)

10. Koi no Dial 6700

11. Pin Pon Taisou (Eri, Sayu, Reina, Koharu, Mitsui, Jun & Lin)

12. Watashi no Aoi Tori

13. Johnny e no Dengon (Risa, Eri & Reina)

14. UFO

I have not gotten around to listening to the rest of the album properly. Wild horses couldn't tear me away from appreciating these 2 songs and Risa's voice *blushes* Thus my opinion of the remaining songs will come later, if the review does materialize at all XD

PS: Did anyone else have weird (Read: pervy) thoughts when they read the words Cover You? Maybe it's just me *shrugs shoulders*

Is It a Bird?? A Plane?? It's A Miracle~~!!!

What is 162 cm tall, extremely loud, has crooked teeth and endless energy? The answer… one very hyper miracle girl called Kusumi Koharu. Ever heard of the phrase, ‘believe in miracles because life would be crappy without them?’ Well for me, Koha is exactly that.

Koha-pink is the spazziest member in the current Morning Musume. She doesn’t take herself, or anyone seriously for that matter. She is KY (If you’re a MM fan you should know what this means) and not the best singer. But you know what? I am not that concerned about her flaws. What makes Koharu endearing to me is, she’s funny. Like really, REALLY hilarious. Just observe her as teacher in Yorosen and you’ll see why. I couldn’t stop laughing while watching her. Who would unzip their jacket and stuff their boobs (t-shirt whatever, not much difference) into the “students” faces. Who could sumo throw a teddy bear so awkwardly and who else dares to death grip Lin Lin on the neck? It’s all Kussun. *Sigh* Just recalling Koharu and her crazy antics brings a smile to my face.

Yet this Niigata born little lady (she’s hardly little standing at that height but you know what I meant) isn’t merely personality. There are occasions where she manages to carry a tune and comes across as reliable. Her first album, Mitsuboshi comprises of songs that she rendered rather competently like ‘Hoshi no Shizuku’, ‘I Miss You’ and ‘Koi Hanabi.’ Kirarin Land was not as awesome song wise, nevertheless ‘Very! Berry! Strawberry’, ‘Futari wa NS’ and ‘Shiawase Clover’ ain’t all that bad. I’m anticipating her 3rd, Kirari to Fuyu. Hopefully it will maintain a satisfactory standard.

The other thing that keeps Koharu among the top 5 in my ranking is how she interacts with the other members. She hits it off well enough with the love of my life, Gaki-san. (Refer to MM DVD Magazine 16 and MM Tanjo Kinentai Concert backstage).

I couldn't find a clip of the backstage so this is another example. Does anyone know what this recording was for? Keep an eye out for Risa poking / jabbing Koharu at 0:29 and them fooling around with a funny pose at 3:03 XD



This clip has GakiKoha with Eri thrown in. Slumber party with these three would be a dream come true.

And also with Sayumin. Morning Days Vol. 3 is an absolute treat! I haven’t finished viewing the complete video but from the modest portion I’ve seen, it promises to change your mindset of Koharu. She strikes me as rather boyish in it and I can totally see her as Sayu’s boyfriend. (blatantly advertising my fic Glass Slipper : Chapter 1 Chapter 2 here XD) No really, even before I linked the two I already felt that the Rainbow Pinku pair looks kinda good together.

Look at how adorable they are with that kissing action :D

Koharu has never been one of the more welcomed members and I doubt she ever will be. But the next time you feel like criticizing this kiddo or slamming her left, right and center, just remember that without her, MM would be drastically different from what it is today. And who can say for sure that in such a universe, things would be much better than what it’s like now?

Heaven in 9.04 minutes

Pigs are flying! Cows are singing! And sheep are…er…not bah-ing? How is it that I see more of JunLin than Ai-chan in the Pepper Keibu making? I’m talking about the Single V version not the interview clip in the Limited Edition A cd. Okay, so MAYBE I’m totally blaming the wrong people here and it’s entirely Ai’s fault for not being interesting enough and hence she didn’t get a lot of screen time in the DVD. But hey, shouldn’t the staff get her to do something at least? Grab her for a minute and ask her about what she’s doing at the moment or shove her a piece of prop and tell her to strike a pose. ANYTHING damn it! Geez, why am I so agitated about the lack of ‘love’? (pun fully intended) I’m not even the greatest Takitty fan. I guess I’m starting to like leader more these days. Apparently loyal supporters of Ai have been right all along. There IS something special about this young woman. Or else all the TakaGaki fanfics I’m reading has finally gotten to me XD

After ranting about the one thing that I’m unhappy about with the video, everything else was absolutely perfect. I love the random black and white effects, how they slotted in the images of the members dancing and the TakaGaki bits!!! Yes~~ (imitates Eri in EYN but failing miserably) Did you see how they were taking photos together (OMG those smiles) and playing air golf?!?!??! (goes into excited fangirl mode) After the lack of my fav CP in the RB pv (which made me a very unhappy hamroll) PK made up for it.

Risa squatting there while bunny was filming made me smile like a dork. Why is she so CUTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE (Risa I mean :P) I wanted to grab her and run while she was playing around with Koha and Mittsui with the whole head-in-the-mouth game. And when she threw her head back and said ‘nai’ to Lin Lin’s claim that she had muscles XD And AGAIN when she and Reina were channeling some Cinderella dance moves. Finally, how could I not talk about her adorable facial expressions when she was with Jun Jun?

One observation I made, Koharu doesn’t care who she’s with or if the other person is older than her. She just does what she does. I’m suspecting this little lady was born without a fear / modest bone in her body :D

My liking for Reina actually went up a few notches after watching this. She can be funny when she isn’t acting cute or winking constantly.

Ai-chan is so adult-like and quiet. From 6.23 min, she was so cute just saying ganbarimasu *Sigh* And she was so pretty at 7.11 sec! (Well actually she was incredible gorgeous throughout) Her pronunciation of ‘finish’ was right on. Risa at 7.18 min with her ‘Art-o there’ while raising her right arm… Wha---t? Did she mean ‘outta there’? That was Sayumi in the background right? What I want to say here is, GAKI WAS SO COOL WHEN SHE DID THAT. It reminded me of her prince role in Cinderella. Why can’t they ship the DVD out already!!!! *wails*

Next is KameiShige (pushes Junx2 away from Eri) I think its obvious Sayumi is in love with said turtle. She CANNOT take her eyes away from her. Kame’s wave while waiting for Sayu to be done at 7.53 min was too adorable! And the whole part thereafter that was crazy good. Sayumi couldn’t stop giggling. I died when she covered her face with her hands and pressed against Eri’s side. That’s the sign of being in love :P

Oooh oooh I like the ending. That twist and slide move the girls did as they stood in a line…*swoons* All in all, I LOVE the current line-up. PLEASE don’t graduate anyone. It’ll be horrible breaking these girls up. Everyone gets along with each other and they are so close!

What Pepper? It's Bloody Hawt!!

The title makes no sense but I don't care. When did the close up versions of Pepper Keibu come out? Why was I out of the freaking loop? I'm typing as I watch because I can't wait to voice my thoughts. (Or type in this case)

DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Close ups = Boring

That statement is history, gone, disappeared for good I tell ya! This was the order that I started watching the 4 versions. 4, that beat Resonant Blue which had 3 different versions, right? Anyway, as I was saying before I got side-tracked.

1. All


2. Ai + Eri + Lin2


3. Sayu + Reina + JJ


4. Risa + Koha + Aika (Gotta save the best for last)

Now for the thoughts that were screaming in my mind but I couldn't verbalize since I was in the lab. Lemme do this in a timeline format. God, I don't know how long I'm gonna spend on this.

1. Hey, they joined the girls doing different poses from the song. Great idea.


2. *Stunned silence* as I took in 9 girls flashing past on the screen while trying to keep a straight face. Letting too many people see you smiling stupidly at the monitor can't be a good thing.

I was originally intending to do this for all 3 close-up versions but decided to go with just the Gaki Koha Aika version in the end since I don't have a whole lotta time to write this. That and I'm incredibly biased towards Risa XD

Miracle Bean with Mittsui Ver.



0.09 Wahhhhhh Risa~~~~~~~~~~~ sexy move

0.12 Koha had a deer lost in headlights look :D

0.15 That blink was a nice touch Aika

0.22 Kawaii Mame-chan~~~~~

0.23 - 0.46 I was just staring at this point being mesmerized by all 3 girls. Yes, even Aika

0.47 OMG I absolutely died when Risa put her hands to her mouth with that adorable expression

1.01 Kakkoii Gaki-san

1.06 And cutness overload once again

1.21 I liked how Koha did her 'cool' pose here

1.26 - 1.30 *swoons* That voice... (ignore JJ please)

1.32 Did I see Koha raise one brow? Or maybe it was the blurry vid playing tricks on my eyes

1.38 -1.40 I liked Koha during this whole bit. Something about how she waves her hand

1.43 - 1.46 Risa likes to pout in this manner doesn't she. Not that I mind since she looks so cute when doing it :P

1.58 Why did Risa have her mouth open?!?! OMG that put pervy thoughts in my head *blushes*

2.18 How can a person twirl her finger so beautifully?

2.43 - 2.47 Aika did this whole part awesomely. It was so slick, especially when she did the arm slide and lowered her body so smoothly

2.48 - 3.05 Again I was just staring with my mouth hanging open

3.08 - 3.24 And I was still staring. I was totally lost in Risa's eyes when she was on the screen. That shimmering eye shadow....

3.25 - 3.45 My fav part of the song. No words, just drool on. Gahhhh...

4.05 - 4.14 Pepper Keibu yo~ *Bang!* (I'll gladly die by their hands...er...fingers?)


Leader Turtle with Panda #2 Ver.




Usagi 07 with Panda #1 Ver.




Everyone!



Later I found out these 3 x 3 x 3 PVs were on the Pepper Keibu event DVD? Maybe if UFA put these on the official single V instead of just the normal and close-up PV of all the girls sales would be significantly higher. Sometimes I don't know what the company is thinking. No, make that MOST of the time.

Best Day of the Year

It's finally the 20th of October. Today is Risa's birthday! I usually dislike Mondays but I'll make an exception for this one.

I bought all these bean snacks and the total bill came up to $20. Coincidence? It was just last week which means I bought them in October. $20 in October. Can you tell what I'm implying? I can related things in the strangest ways so don't mind me XD

I drew this. It was originally for the birthday project Lolli was planning. The idea was scrapped in the end but even if it wasn't, I wonder if I would have had the guts to mail this drawing to be complied as part of the present from her overseas fans. I mean, I'm no artist and you can tell from the shoddy work I'm no good at this. I did spend a considerable amount of time trying to perfect it though.

I also wrote a new fic titled 2010 (at JPH!P) for her birthday. Read it and comment please. As usual I couldn't spend too long on it (overlook the bad quality :P) as this is project week and I'm surprised I could manage to write anything at all.

Salt & Pepper

That was an unbelievably lame title, I admit that. It’s just that I never fail to think of salt and pepper whenever Pepper Keibu comes up. I’m not even that big on food so I have no idea why this is the case. Anyway, I’m somewhat cheesed off that MM’s 37th single only had 2 live performances. I miss the days where they were on virtually every programme to promote their new singles. There was Music Station, Utaban, PopJam and loads more that I can’t remember at the moment. Because HM got shortened and the whole concept of the show changed, MM didn’t even get to perform Pepper Keibu on HM@. At least I think they didn’t since I never got to see a video.


MUSIC JUMP

Don’t some artists get to perform in front of a live audience? Why didn’t MM get to do that this time? The Onna ni Sachi Are performance was a blast with fans/wota yelling and clapping. I want something like that instead of them singing to nobody in particular. The same thing happened for C-ute’s Namida no Iro. Which is a pity cus no one would know how awesome these songs were if they didn’t tune into the show. From what I gather, MJ isn’t the most popular music programme around.

Moving on, ooohhhh nice move there Risa. Hawt. Ai-chan was kinda loud in her first line. More hawt Risa action with the ‘whatever-you-call-that’ jerking thing and head tilt. Koharu’s looking pretty good herself. Gah….Gaki moving that butt *dies* Koharu’s ‘I’m-sticking-a-fingergun-in-ya-face’ pose was perfect. A balanced mix of genki and cool rolled into one.





MUSIC FIGHTER

Where is the freaking talk segment?! MF appearances are constantly entertaining to watch given that Sayumi and the female host (what’s her name again) have these little bickering episodes over who is cuter. This time there was none of that. All MM got was less than a minute of talk time which was wasted on screening parts of the RB PV and Reina informing people about her 1.1 cm gain in height. She could have at least said something more compelling and while she looked great in her photo, what does it have to do with growing taller? I'd much rather Kame or Ai-chan did the talking instead. Eri would surely be funny and Ai-chan deserves it after losing both solo lines in the song to the ex-yankii. Yes Sayumi, you are meccha meccha kawaii~~ Wasn't GakiShige adorable? Sayu looking straight at Risa and Gaki pointing madly back with that rubber faced expression :)

I like the shooting technique for this performance over MJ’s. Here you get a variety of shots including panned out ones which allow you to see where the other girls are and how they’re dancing. Hot Risa move detected! The dance break is the best part of the song. I’m guessing the camera was too close to Gaki-san as she didn’t extend her leg fully when she did the kick. Ai-chan was definitely the cutest one here. Eri was adorable as well but there were too little scenes of her.

Can't Love in a World Without Rain?

雨の降らない星では愛せないだろうか？(Ame no Furanai Hoshi de wa Aisenai Darou)

It's a pity this song wasn't released officially. I fell in love with it the first time I heard it. And it was a lousy low quality recording mind you. With visuals and in much better quality, the song is beautiful. And to prove it...

this.

The piano intro is awesome and so is the build up to the part where the orchestral comes in. All the girls are trying their darnest to look sad/touched/gentle (?) A few pull this off (Captain, Sayumi, Maimi). Sayumi especially. I wanna reach into the monitor and hug her whenever she appears on screen. I don’t know why but I wanna laugh when I see Risa do it. Jun Jun (what's with the face touching? XD) and Lin Lin sang their parts well. Lin Lin was the better singer here in my personal opinion. I thought it was funny when everyone was looking at her when she was singing. Again, Risa cracked me up with her over-emoting during the hand action bit XD

Yurina’s face zoomed in on the large screen was kinda awkward. I wonder how they decided on Miyabi's hand over her chest (I'm sorry for having p**** thoughts here when I shouldn't have) to focus on out of all the 50 (?) odd girls?

Fan-made OPV

Most of the pictures used in this I have never seen before. Great choices since all of them show off the closeness and great relations between the girls. Do I feel a tear emerging? I think I do *sniff*

You Know 2009 Will Be A Great Year - Part 2

Who would have thought the rest of the pages would get uploaded so soon? (Thanks to OnDiet @ JPM) I can't say I'm not happy about it though :P Let's go through this month by month shall we? I'm actually just looking for an excuse to gush about the calendar :D

MARCH & APRIL = GakiKame

Wooooooooooohooooooooooooooo~~~~~~~!!! One of my fav ships on my birthday month!! KameMame is a pairing I CANNOT resist. I think a big part of why I'm so into them is their radioshow. Have you read the translations that OnDiet so faithfully does? OMG I'm telling you, it's impossible for anyone to not fall in love with this Boke and Tsukomi after regular doses of hearing them together.

Eri is ALWAYS doing little random actions or saying weird stuff that exasperates Risa. Yet its precisely these that will make you laugh your head off and go "this girl is so adorable!" Gaki-san is the level-headed one who is probably rolling her eyes or something at the side. Pity we can't see their interactions live. I was hoping they would make a DVD of the radioshow. Heck, they could leave a camera rolling in the booth they record the show while the 2 just sit in their chairs and I would still buy it. I'm that desperate for their stuff.

Examples of classic GakiKame conversations. All credit goes to OnDiet. Without her awesomeness, I wouldn't have the chance to know so much about what goes on during the show. The content below is basically copied from the original one that OnDiet wrote but I did change it a little here and there to make some parts more clear.

Episode: GAKIKAME #077 (20th September 2008 )

Segment: Personality test
Question: Who "uses" you the most
Results: Risa - Your family often make use of you, Eri - You're a person who is a little immature. Often "used" by juniors.
Resulting conversation:

What the hell is that! It says that I'm immature?
Yup. It said a little immature, but for Kame its not just a little immature.
Really? That has gotta be a lie.
It says immature people, thats you isn't it!
But during important times I don't behave immaturely!

Segment: Insides stories corner
Topic: Cinderella the Musical 2008
Resulting conversation:

Gakisan was funny during the conclusion's ad lib (the musical). She said really cruel things to Portia.

Yeah I did. I said something like.. ah.. where was it again? Ah! During the ball room dance scene, Kame said "My dream.." Ah wait..Kame you should say it here as Portia.

What was the line again? (As Portia) "You know what I wanna be right? Wise Attorney." (Its an actual line from Cinderella, where Portia wants to be the princess)

(As Prince) "Its good to have big dreams. But I think you're being too ambitious." It's still okay till here. But I was trying to control myself from saying what I really wanted to say. I controlled myself till the last 2 performances from saying...

(As Portia) : "You know what I wanna be right? Wise Attorney."

(As Prince) "Its good to have big dreams. But I think you should stop being so half-hearted when doing things."

Yes! She said that! And I didn't expect Gakisan to say that to me!

Yeah. Since this time round it was ad libbed, the prince didn't really get the chance to say it out the previous times. And also Kame's 'Wise Attorney' makes me feel a little like "ahh?". Yeah.. so that was what I always wanted to tell Kame.. So I finally did it in the end. That was really fun.

Segment: Letter corner

Resulting conversation:

This is GAKIKAME's day (refering to how they were in the same booth from the beginning to the end when usually they record individually)

Yeah.. a GAKIKAME day..we spent today together isn't it..

Yeah. Please take care of me, Gakisan!

Please take care of me too. Yay ~

Yay ~ Man..I don't wanna do this (Acting all high tension with Kame)

My nose is itchy

You don't have to say it out..at that..*cuts off* [If you listen clearly at this part, you'll be able to hear the sound of Eri blowing her nose interrupting Gakisan]

Stop doing that!

Segment: Ending talk

Topic: Announcement of GakiKame ending

Resulting conversation:

And I have a bad news here..

Eh? There isn't!

There is..even though Kame is trying to make a false accusation here.

What? I don't know anything ~

Even though its something that we don't really want to hear, but I have to announce it..

Humph.

Be quiet! Hush!

*cries*

This is something everyone must know...Ignore Kame's voice (Eri was 'crying' in the background)

Oi ~

*ignores* The next GAKIKAME episode will be the final episode.

K : Eh?

Don't "eh" me! You knew about this too! If you only know about it now then its really pathetic (As in the DJ don't even know her show is going to end) *laughs*

*laughs*

We knew about it sometime before..and it was like a big fall for us too..(As in a big disappointment)

Its going to end? *still acting like she don't know anything*

I've already said that you knew it beforehand! Although we really had fun during GAKIKAME

*laughs*

Now you see why I adore them so much? It's just one episode and it's filled to the brim with GakiKame goodness. I could go on but that would mean I would never get around to talking about the other months XD

Back to the calendar, both of the girls are soooooooooooo pretty. Look at the bottom pics. Going from left to right, I like the 1st pic, 2nd pic, 3rd, 4th, 5th....9th. Noticed I named all of them? :D But they really are all so beautiful! *Sigh* Risa and Eri....

MAY & JUNE = KohaMittsui + Pandas

I like their boots. The primary colors suit their young ages (discount the fact that JJ is almost an adult). The dresses are cute, showing off their playful side. An overall fun picture that I like. The bottom right pics of the group hug are probably my fav shots on this page.

JULY & AUGUST = ReinaAika


I'm beginning to like Aika more recently. She seems like a fun person who is nice at the same time. The cap works on her. Her outfit is a little strange but no major complaints there since she still comes across looking very pleasing. Am I the only one who thinks that Reina's smile is kinda forced? It's like she doesn't really wanna be there. It could be a bad day for her or maybe it's her new way of smiling.


NOVEMBER & DECEMBER = Rainbow Pinku


Possibly my other most fav page. The browns and orange mesh well together giving off a warm and comfortable vibe. It surprised me that UFA would allocate Koha with the mature look but it suits her well. I always felt Koharu had a rather mature face/features for her age. Apparently the company agrees. There is no question that Sayumi looks good. When does she not? I like their pose. It's close but not too awkward. The bottom pics are even better. Crazy Koha and Sayu :) I love the kissing shots.

Takahashi Ai in Lead Role

Ai-chan~~~!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now, Takitty isn’t really in my top 3 in terms of Momosu rankings. Nonetheless, I’ve always found her to be the best singer, a great dancer (though not as excellent as Kamei) and incredibly pretty in a non-threatening way. Oh and she definitely looks darn cool and drool worthy when she’s dressed up as a guy :D IMO, she beats the socks off any JE member by a mile.

When I first heard news that Ai-chan landed the female starring role in a “dorama” on primetime TV, I was over the moon. You don’t know how long I’ve been wishing for something like this to happen. Of course I would be even more delighted if it was Gaki-san who got it. Except that I’m somewhat of a practical person, meaning I don’t dream of the unattainable (most times anyway) so I understand that Risa getting a big role in any drama is almost impossible. If UFA play their cards right, we should be seeing Reina, Eri or Koharu follow Ai’s lead in time to come.

The plot reminds me of ‘Young Kindaichi’, where detective skills are required to solve various mystifying cases. Ai’s role is of a cheerful, energetic and athletic high schooler who accompanies the young 15 year old prodigy who graduated from a prestigious American university. I think there is about a 6 to 7 year age between these 2 in real life. After viewing the clip below, I don’t have any doubts that Ai can pull this off. The guy looks old for his age and so much bigger @@ I don’t know why I noticed his bushy brows. Isn’t that rare in a society where guys pluck their brows really finely?

Anyway, back to the drama. With a good character/role coupled with adequate acting skills (which Ai-chan does possess by the way), this might just open the door to non-wota fans getting into H!P. I’ve nothing against wotas, in fact I kinda admire them for daring to do some of the stuff they do. It’s just that I would like more of the general public to see that MM is much more than simply another idol group who can’t do anything aside from appealing to old men by flashing some skin. Stop brushing MM or any of the other H!P groups off damn it! These girls have the whole package. They are gorgeous, talented (let’s not include Sayu or Koha in this category but hey, they make up for it in other ways), are nice, fun and bursting with interesting personalities (at least when they get the chance to show it off).

2009 January is many months away and already I can’t wait for the year to end. I want to witness Ai-chan in all her cute, youthful and endearing glory as Mizuhara Kana. Ten full episodes of Q.E.D. 証明終了 (Q.E.D Shoumei Shuuryou) FTW!!

Something I Seemed to have Forgotten

I always thought the first fanfic I would post on my shiny new blog would be my own. But alas that was not to be as I stumbled upon a fic that I like a lot at the moment. In fact, I'm still feeling the tingling sensations after reading it.

The pairing is one that I used to like very much. No, let me rephrase that. It was a pairing I was once CRAZY over. And the 2 are Niigaki Risa (my dear NiNi) and Tanaka Reina (07). Those who know me from my early days in the H!P fandom should still remember how much I loved the young yankii back in the day. There was even a period where I posted frantically in both their threads. The amount of talk going on in Tanakacchi's thread was so substantial that the administrators had to remind us time and again to stop deviating and going off topic.

If you ask me now, I can't really explain why or how my love for Reina diminished so significantly. Perhaps it was after she started winking incessantly, or maybe it was due to her obvious lack of yankii-ness and explosion of the cute image that I don’t enjoy seeing her portray.

Even so, reading Omame’s ‘Burning’ brought back memories of my adoration for this pairing. And so I wanted to share this with other Gaki-san fans (if anyone at all is reading my blog) as GakiReina or ReiKi (I just came up with this) is not impossible and is actually rather enjoyable and refreshing. Thus, thank you for the great read Omame-san. I also find the little banner you did for the fic irresistible. Nicely chosen pics and I can’t help but be mesmerized by the mood/emotion channeled by both girls.

BURNING

You Know 2009 Will Be A Great Year

I love Risa loads and adore Morning Musume tremendously as a whole. However, I have long given up on having nice MM calendars for a while now. With UFA’s infamous reputation, they almost always manage to screw things up in some way or another. Nevertheless, when I saw the cover for the 2009 calendar I felt a surge of renewed hope. After all, the girls have an actual, real backdrop this time instead of simply standing in front of a green screen.

I don’t know if ampedechoz over at JPM was the original up-loader or did he get the pictures from someone else. Nonetheless, bless him for giving the fans an early preview. Now I know I didn’t order this one in vain. I’m expecting sales to shoot up considerably with this leak. I mean how can one, especially a MM fan resist buying 7/8 huge poster-like sheets with 6 incredibly gorgeous girls in full color? (I’m not gonna specify who the 6 are).

From the looks of the 4 preview pics, Ai-chan is placed with the pandas for the months of January and February. I’m guessing the others will be split into TanaKamei (do I hear ecstatic screaming everywhere by joyous worshippers of this pairing?), GakiShige and KohaMittsui. I’m disappointed that there won’t be TakaGaki or GakiKame but in any case I’m contented with having GakiShige. November and December has GoRokkies (YAY!), loving those Ugg boots by the way. Sayumi looks incredible and Reina ain’t so bad. Eri has this expression I can’t decipher while Ai looks cute in that hat. Risa is…well she is…I don’t know how to say this except that this hairstyle isn’t the best she has had. The spontaneous shots at the bottom of each page are a nice touch and they show you how close the girls are.

I'm annoyed and sad that photos are given out with every purchase of MM DVD Mag 19 (which includes footage of the making) or the calendar itself. Why am I not living in Japan?!?!?

I. Can’t. Wait. for my calendar to arrive.

The Beginning...

I've been toying with the idea of starting a blog for my H!P fandom for a long time but have never gotten around to actually doing it. Since this is the 20th year that the world has been blessed with the existence of Niigaki Risa, I figured it will be a good time to start.



Lets get the mandatory 'about me' post outta the way first.



P R O F I L E

Nickname: lil_hamz (as most commonly known in the H!P community)

Birthdate: 3rd April

Location: That little red dot (if you know, you know)



Fav. MM members: Niigaki Risa, Kusumi Koharu (note that other than Gaki-san, the others tend to change, A LOT)

Fav. MM songs: Ai Araba IT'S ALL RIGHT, Iroppoi Jirettai, Egao Yes Nude, Kanashimi Twilight, Onna ni Sachi Are, Resonant Blue

Fav. MM Ships: TakaGaki, GakiKame (aka KameMame), KameiShige, GakiShige



Fav. Berryz Koubou members: Tsugunaga Momoko, Natsuyaki Miyabi

Fav. Berryz Koubou songs: Koi no Jubaku, Special Generation, Jiriri Kiteru, Munasawagi Scarlet, Ah Merry-go-round, Real Love



Fav. C-ute members: Suzuki Airi, Yajima Maimi

Fav. C-ute songs: Tokaikko Junjo, Namida no Iro



Crediting issue: If there are any pictures anywhere on this blog that belong to you and I have failed to credit you appropriately, please do know that I am terribly apologetic and did not do so on purpose. I might for forgotten/lost the source where I originally obtained it. If it's any consolation, I must admire/like your work very much to post it here. Thank you once again for your understanding.