7+ Years of Secrets

Why such a strange title? The reason is I'd expect Ai and Risa to know a lot about each other after spending so many years together as best friends in MM. (Let's ignore the fact that there are 2 others in the 5th Generation XD) Stuff including each other's likes, dislikes, pet peeves, secrets and coughahemstuffthatexcitesthemcough.

In my opinion, TakaGaki started out not because the two of them gravitated to each other due to similar tastes. It was probably more a case of having no other choice since Makoto and KonKon hit it off so well. I don't mean the monkey :P and bean pair aren't close with their fellow 5kkies as it's pretty obvious Risa is good with Mako-chan while Ai is the same with Asami. It's just that everyone needs a BFF so to speak and TakaGaki found that someone in each other after getting thrown together.

Yet, I don't think their relationship is built solely on convenience. With time, you can see from random clips and pictures that the girls are comfortable around each other, which in a way proves their closeness. The rare ocassion where either of them talks about the other is a real treat for me since I thrive on getting glimspes of my favorite pairings. I have a top 5 couple pairing (CP) ranking on which leader and sub-leader is definitely in top 2 position. Plus, there is the added bonus of discovering new trivia that a fan wouldn't know about if the girls didn't let it out themselves.

I've learnt things about Ai like how she's a picky OJ drinker, not in her best element in the water, tends to let slip from her mind their scheduled dates/outings, doesn't answer/reply to Risa's calls/messages cuz she forgets to turn her cell phone on after switching it off, feels embarassed if people see her crying, etc.

As for Risa, I now know she is always beside Ai, supporting her as the ever reliable and hardworking friend/sub-leader. She shares Ai's troubles, provides a listening ear and is basically there whenever she is needed.

Because it's mostly Risa who talks about Ai instead of the other way round, I have to hear about Gaki-san from Eri or Sayumi. Perhaps this is why KameShige have slowly but surely made their way up my list of MM girls.

Although Gaki-san seems to hang around Kame a lot more these days, her little actions shows she still thinks of Ai and worries for her. MM Alo Hello 3, when Ai started screaming like a kid after the float caved and the whole gang fell into the water, Risa was there with her in an instant. She probably knew about Ai's hydrophillic traits and wanted to be there to console her. How about Ai's uneasiness during RnK? Risa was with her too, accompanying her through the night and convincing her that she'll do a great job with her role as the lead character. Oh, and let's not leave out the surprise birthday appearance at nearly midnight on Ai's 21st birthday at her house. I'm sure there are many more examples which I've left out but I think it's clear what I'm trying to convey. Ai and Risa care for each other in a way which may even exceed that of best friends.

I don't know if it's just my mind thinking up bizzare scenarios but I get the feeling that Ai no longer acts as nonchalant towards Risa as before. It's the expression in her eyes when she looks at her, the way she smiles at Risa and her quickness at backing her up or assuring her that she's ok. Case in point, the idol audition in Taiwan when MM went on as guests, performing RB. When Risa got all flustered at acting out her two 'action poses', Ai immediately yelled out "Kawaii x2!" Then there are all those HM@ episodes where Ai watches 'Art-O' theatre or Risa's solo Korean gig. She almost always has this cute and blissful smile on her face. And who can forget the infamous Ai undressing Risa with her eyes clip XDDD

I can't exactly say when this shift from Gaki-san placing more emphasis on Ai-chan changed to one with Takahashi being the more "loving" partner. But to me, I feel Ai has realized Risa is drifting away from her and hence subconsciously, she is trying to get her back which translates into her behaviour on screen and in real life.

After so much rambling, I just want to end with this line. For me, adoring TakaGaki is one of the best parts of my MM fandom and no matter what negative people/anti-fans might say, I sincerely believe that they share something special. There is a bond binding them, one which transcends seven years.

A Prelude to #39

When MM's new single releases on the 13th of May, you can be sure I'm gonna be blogging about it. I've only heard a short preview (thanks to the very kind OnDiet) and I ADORE it already! I can't stop putting it on repeat <3 Shouganai Yume Oibito, doesn't the name itself sound appealing XD I guess it's pretty obvious the enormous extent of my love for their 39th single :D

Amazingly, I quite like Reina's singing in it. That is if I put the correct voice to the right girl. Sayu doesn't sound too bad, Ai is the same as always and the amount of lines Eri has is a pleasant surprise. EHHHHH, Gaki-san only got one line? *pouts* And maybe the harmonizing portion? How could they shaft her?!??! The Blasphemy XDDDD I'm kidding here, I'm not the kind to go on and on about the unfair treatment in line allocation. I'm just happy to be able to hear Risa sing and hopefully watch her on live performances. They have GOT to get on live shows. Those mean producers and what-nots NEED to invite MM. I hate that they can't show they wonderfulness in terms of singing, dancing, personality, humor, beauty etc. to the Japanese public :(

I hope Kame gets as to show off her incredible dancing skills to go with her parts in the song. I can totally see a hawt and smexy Eri taking centre stage *daydreams*

I'm going off to enjoy myself with more listenings of this song. Suki~~

Edit:

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!!!!!! The LQ version of the PV is out and I can't freaking hell view it!!! *wails* Since when was stupid YT so efficient in taking down stuff. God I REALLY need to see it. From the screencaps I saw Risa was damn gorgeous!! That tie and hair *falls over and dies* Of course Eri was super pretty as well but Risa AHHHHHHHHHHH Gaki-san!!! What happened to all your chubbiness? It disappeared @@

Someone please upload the PV somewhere that is not megavideo. A really kind fan did it there but for some reason I can't load it:(

KameMameHa~~!

Why the random GakiKame entry? Because it's my birthday and I wanted to blog about something I love. Yeah, I know there is absolutely no relation among the two :D So sue me? Kidding here, don't bring me to court as I'm just a poor MM fan XD


The best news I've heard all week is GAKIKAME returning. I'm not sure if they are gonna keep their old name as the radioshow is on a different channel now. It's taking over Nacchi's timeslot if I'm not wrong. Enjoy the subbed vid of the 2 crazy girls promoting their new assignment.

Thanks to 86turbos who did the translation. It's fans like that which make the H!P fandom world such a great place ^^

And now for some random KameMame loving <3

Though TakaGaki and KameShige too are awesome pairings, these 2 are like a chemical reaction that combusts spontaneously. Their chemistry cannot be denied and hilarity is almost always ensured. I adore watching the 2 dragon ladies together (Read: Born in 1988) and how they behave around each other.

Don't they just look so cute together? Turtle x Bean power forever!!

I Might Cry...

...Tears of joy that is from viewing the spectacular PVs featuring each individual member. I told OnDiet I was gonna write an entry about the girl's solo 'Naichau Kamo' close-up PVs but that came to naught as I got sidetracked by Risa's Alo Hello 2 post and a whole truckload of school assignments and projects. I still have a partially written document about it somewhere but I have no idea where I saved it. That might have been a good thing since between then and now, a new batch of PVs emerged with the release of MM's Platinum 9 Disc album. This set of videos are way better as they incorporate the close-up, dance and rain scene clips all in one. Talk about cowlabunga awesome! Now for a ranking of my top 5 starting from bottom up.

#5 Takahashi Ai aka the Human Tap



Her position came as a real shocker as I ranked her #1 for the close-up versions. Her half a beat delay at mouthing the 'Kamo' at the beginning cost her a few points and the fact that I kept getting distracted by the other girls during the dancing scenes added on to her slide to the bottom of the list.

You would think that as the 2nd or 3rd best dancer within MM (Depending on if you're a bigger Gaki-san or Kame fan), anyone watching the PV would have their eyeballs trained on her the entire time she displayed how flexible her body was with the side thrusting and stuff. Yet I didn't find that she exhibited her full potential for this particular dance sequence.

However, it's undeniable that Ai looks ravishing (I have always been a fan of her this hairstyle) and she has the most number of extended scenes where she succeeds in conveying the forlornness of Mariko beautifully (See 2.22 - 2.29 min, 2.49 - 3.20 min, 3.29 - 3.33 min, 3.56 - 4.20 min). Her looking up at the falling rain and catching of the water droplets in her palm at 0.18 min and again at 1.23 - 1.40 min made me feel that she is a worthy actress as she made the effort to include details that would better bring out the emotions of the song.

#4 Niigaki Risa aka Ai's Supporter in the Emotion Department



Risa too did a lot of glancing up at the rain which was similar to what Ai did. Nevertheless, the feeling I got while watching TakaGaki acting was different. Ai-chan's was more on the verge of breaking down whilst Risa's was more serene, as if she was contemplating about the past and how she handled the relationship. 0.17 - 0.33 min was the first time she tilted her head towards the sky and she did it again at 1.23 - 1.39 min. I'm convinced there is no other person who can look as good as Gaki-san does from that angle :P

She was darn cool at 2.27 min when she stepped backwards and Ai and Koharu came up front. Besides Sayumi's famous Mariko line, the next sentence I most like in the single has to be the one that Risa sang from 3.02 - 3.11 min. Her little action of flicking her hair with her hands some time during that verse totally killed me with how smexy she looked <3

One thought that kept appearing in my head while watching Risa is, since when did her lips get so deliciously thick? Not that I'm complaining as they look incredibly kissable :P My all-time favorite Mame scene is from 4.24 - 4.33 min. The way she brought her eyes gradually downwards and her resigned sigh was enough to make me wanna strangle whoever brought her so much pain XD

#3 Kusumi Koharu aka the New Hawt Girl

I think I've mentioned this somewhere before that Koharu isn't the most competent dancer. Heck, she can sometimes rival Sayumi for the I'm-suffering-from-an-attack-of-fits award but then again, the 164.8 cm (Refer to Music Fighter NCK episode) beauty has improved tremendously from her black stare expression days. She had a couple of hilarious footage including the OMG-I-Need-to-wipe-the-window-quick hand actions at 0.47 min and her Ow-my-contacts-are-too-dry-and-might-pop-out-at-any-moment-so-I-gotta-blink-loads-to-keep-them-from-falling-out look at 1.22 - 1.39 min XD

Nonetheless, her drenched look during the raining scenes and gorgeously wavy hair during the close-up shots more than makes up for her lack of dancing skills :D Koharu even manages to channel the cool vibe on a few ocassions. I can't help drooling every time the camera does a zoom in on her pretty face or prevent myself from thinking how a 16 year old can look so pretty.

Therefore, I'm sold as a believer that Koha will blossom into an extremely beautiful young lady when she turns 18. She has the height and slim figure on her side plus she doesn't have a face that girls love to hate. Thus I can't see why she won't find success in the acting realm if a good script was presented to her. I guess what I'm trying to say with my senseless rambling is that Koharu truly is the miracle member in my eyes. I can't really explain why I feel this way, I just do. Something tells me she will be the one to look out for in the near future.


#2 Kamei Eri aka the most Adorable Alien / Turtle / Pokepokepuu



When the camera slowly panned up and caught Eri's expression at 0.15 min, that was already enough to kill me. Now I know what the phrase "If looks could kill" mean. Damn, Eri oozes sensuality just by fluttering her eyelids. Her turning around prior to that was a nice build up for what was to come at 0.51 min when she killed me again. The nail in the coffin was hammered in from 1.14 - 1.20 min. That broken expression and the swallowing was epicly done!

The pursing of the lips at 1.56 min is one trait of Eri which makes me melt, every single time. What does that smile at 2.17 min mean? The ironic circumstance that Mariko is in? HOLY SHIT!! Eri sliding her fingers down her hair at 2.56 min *Stares with slacked jaw* Did you hear a bell ring? That was the sign annoucing I'm 100% out cold, totally killed by the power of the turtle.

When it comes to Kame-chan, how could I not say anything about her dancing? I felt her best moments were from 4.01 - 4.08 min. She makes it look so darn effortless. Yet another brilliant guesture - the abrupt twisting of her face away from the camera she delivered at 3.29 min. *Hammy feels a jolt through her heart* Goddess Eri ensures your every last breath is stolen completely with the ending scene at 4.39 min. *Hammy collapses to a heap on the floor*


#1 Michishige Sayumi aka Her Time Has Come



Ooooh, I like the hand on glass scene at 0.22 min. And the slight tilting of her head upwards is great too. I could actually feel how cold Sayumi was when she was filming this PV. There is this hypnotizing effect when you gaze into her eyes, those pure black orbs just suck you in so deep you can't get out of falling in love with the girl known as Ichiban Kawaii. It's like she's telling you to bring her home and love and care for her so that no one else can hurt her anymore.

Costume wise, Sayu already wins hands down since I'm such a big sucker for ties. She was one of the two / few who had a polka-dotted piece hanging around her neck. I adore her hair in the dance portions and she undoubtedly looked the best in the red leather jacket. I don't know if it's just me but man, did her legs look appealing in those fishnet stockings. To those who claim her legs are too skinny, take that XD

Sayumin's classic line at 0.48 min was executed perfectly. The manner by which she ran that finger down the side of her face was so temptingly seducing. Gawd and the hip-shaking was damn attractive too. When did she learn to wiggle her body like that??! She drips sex appeal again at 2.22 min. A drop of water rolling down the glass panel at 2.23 min coincided with her lifting of her face and and that made it seem as if she was weeping. The bunny is the sole member who draws her brows arched at that particular angle and it is really alluring to me.

The Story of Hun

It’s INCREDIBLY tiring to be capping pictures from a video. I don’t know how people like Lolli do it. My back almost broke whilst I was capturing screen caps for Risa’s Alo Hello 2. I don’t think I’ll be trying anything like this again soon. Excuse me for the low quality and lack of more pictures. This is my first attempt and possibly my last XD

Before I go onto the DVD proper, I expect most of Risa fans to remember the famous Dohhh Up! video of the KameMame duo promoting this DVD. If you have forgotten how epic it was, watch it again below. It was 5:10 min of pure insanity. Some have commented that Gaki-san behaved like she drank alcohol but I think she was just too high :D

Taxi
This segment was taken on the way to Narita airport to catch the night flight to Hawaii. From what she said, we learn Risa overslept on the Hawaii trip one and a half years ago and was nearly late for the photography event with fans cuz she forgot to adjust the time on her cell phone alarm from Japanese to Hawaiian time.

As the vehicle she was traveling in was dark, she used the light from her keitai to provide extra illumination for the filming. From the quick glimpse I caught of her cell phone, I think it was of a clam shell design and in a metallic pink color.

Ever since Risa was a lil beanie, I’ve liked her brows. How do I say this, the rationale for liking them were that they were not sparse. As she got gradually older, she started plucking them to create a more feminine feel (I think this was the reason) and I was sad that they looked almost non-existent at times (Kinda like how Ai-chan doesn’t have any :P) I liked the way she drew them in this portion of the DVD though. They were nicely arched.

Like Koharu, Gaki-san is one of the rare members who would keep her fringe long. This time her hairstyle was cute, with a tiny bunch tied up at the top. She has a liking for wearing rings, especially on her middle and pinkie fingers. I like to observe them to see which designs she prefers and it seems her taste is vastly different from the types Sayumi wears.

Airport
Here we find out Risa and her mom ever missed the plane due to heavy traffic and had to spend 6 hours in the airport waiting for the next available flight. I wonder where they were going for the private trip and why didn't the rest of her family go along. I thought it was adorable when she looked at her imaginary watch to check the time, LOL.

Airplane

Risa spills the beans about Ai’s pickiness towards orange juice. Apparently leader only drinks 100% OJ :D The way she imitated what the waitress probably thought when Ai questioned her about the percentage of the juice was funny ^^ Also, Risa has a habit of telling whatever she’s traveling on to ‘Ganbatte.’ I don’t know why I find this adorable although if I came across someone doing it in real life I might have rolled my eyes at seeing such a childish act XD

Drive

EHHHHH?!?! This is her first time in a convertible? Wow, and I thought idols earned a truckload of cash. A Niigaki trivia, she doesn’t have a driving license yet.

She mentions Takahashi a second time. Apparently, Ai is a terrible swimmer while Risa herself is an awesome one. Hmmmm, I wonder if the 2 have ever swam together in private before :P How else would she have known right?

Shaved Ice
Yet another shocking revelation. Risa has never tried eating shaved ice outside of Japan. Come to my country Gaki-san, I’ll treat you to all the shaved ice you can eat. And yes, we have them in rainbow colors =)

Ship
This is definitely my fave section of the DVD. It was HILARIOUS! Gaki-san did a weird flapping action when she first laid down on the net. Then when she got splashed by sea water, she shifted into reaction mode and practically went nuts rattling “USO!” and “NAN KORE!” at 80 miles per minute :D

Gaki-san with the pink float was ADORABLE! Her bye bye and slapping of the water surface as she swam alongside the boat was too cute. Later, she freaked out when the engine started running and was really worried that she would get left behind XD

Dinner
Watching this with an empty stomach is NOT a good idea. My tummy kept growling and I was so embarrassed as the room I was in was rather quiet. Why can’t everyone’s stomach be complaining about not having lunch? *grumbles*

Anyway, the portions looked huge and Risa managed to stuff a big piece of salad into her mouth. Gosh, the way she ate was so sexy. Hee hee. I bet I wouldn’t be able to eat my meal if she was sitting across me *dreams*.

Room
She took some time to think of what she should say. In the end she talked about how she felt joining MM as a kid and entering the world of adults, conveying her feelings through singing, being thankful that fans are affected in a positive way by her performances and doing her best to help everyone who has contact with her. All in all, I thought this was a heartfelt speech and not once did I find watching her speak boring.

*Sigh* Conclusion? I'm still head over heeds in love with one Niigaki Risa