More on “Mikan”

2007…what a year for H!P: Addition of JunJun and LinLin, graduation, serious scanals, resignation, pregnancy, marriage…and last but not least, Hello! Project’s 10th anniversary. In the midst of everything, Mikan’s energetic anthem plays on.

Intro. The single begins with a brief but beautiful melody on the piano, the first few seconds quite reminiscent of KoiING’s intro. Then enter the rapid beats of the drums, and the spirit of Mikan is unleashed with the voices of Koharu and Aika; it’s that vibe you get when you watch a new anime opening. Your heartrate is rapidly increasing to the beats of the drums.

Verse. Following the opening are especially memorable and catchy lines led by Ai-chan. This is also my favorite part of the song. In the back of my mind, it was the tune that repeatedly played itself over and over. The next few solo lines featured Eri, Gaki-san, Sayu, Reina, and Koharu, which is always good news to those who aren’t so pleased with line distribution. When comes time for pairs to sing the pre-chorus, I can just imagine fans clapping three times to every part (darn the concert rip!).

Chorus. Then comes the main tune rocking on – it’s the definition of upbeat. Because of its celerity, I also imagine it as the most difficult part to perform live. The chorus shows no mercy when it comes to breathing, yet the most insight when it comes to meaning: Jinsei wa igai…life is one time.

Now look back on every piece of news recorded on the front page of Hello!Online this year. It’s got every kind of news you expect, or not expect. What Mikan proclaims is a simple, timeless lesson in life: You’ve only got one. It’s full of ups and downs and will be incomplete if you decide to give up when you fall. No matter what, you will get a chance to experience the best of life.

Some have judged it by the melody, others the lyrics. Some have embraced this single with joy, others have decided that it simply sucks, period. There are those who thought it was somewhere in the middle as well. Whatever you think of Mikan, in terms of lyrics, it deserves the king’s seat. Tsunku reminds MM through Mikan’s lyrics that, in the midst of everything that’s happened so far in 2007, they’ve got to carpe their diem – they’ve got to seize the day in spite of the downs of life. Morning Musume is not quite finished yet.

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Catch us if you can!

「早安少女組」成軍10年，9名成員下周一將首度造訪台灣，為10周年紀念精選輯造勢。 她們抵台灣晚將先舉辦歡有會，與台灣的會員見面，隔天下午舉行訪台記者會，晚上則出席特別握手會，歌迷憑專輯內附的握手券，就有機會與早安9位成員握手。 她們在日本從未公開辦過握手會，已有不少日本粉絲致電詢問台灣唱片公司，計畫跨海追星。

“Morning Musume” has been established for ten years, and all nine members will visit Taiwan for the first time next Monday in celebration of album release, ALL SINGLES COMPLETE~10th ANNIVERSARY~. Upon their arrival, a welcome event will first take place where Morning Musume meet members of the fan club in Taiwan. In the afternoon of the following day, Morning Musume will hold a press conference, and in the evening, a special handshake event. With a handshake ticket specifically enclosed in the album, fans will have a chance to shake hands with the current nine Morning Musume members. Since Morning Musume has never publicly held any handshake events in Japan, there has been quite a few Japanese fans who questioned the Taiwan-press record company about the event, planning to chase after the celebrities overseas.

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Although this is far more than unfortunate for those who must remain in the states from October 29-31, for those who do plan to attend the special event, it must be a minute of heaven! The unfortunate bunch, including myself, can only stare at newspaper cut-outs like the one above (e-mailed to me by my godsister) and dream. Stare at them the next day, then dream… My hope is for those who have made plans already to enjoy this trip to the fullest! (no brainer) Make it a memorable one for both you and Morning Musume. That way, perhaps they might return for another event at another time in accordance with my schedule. :] Will try to catch them another time.

Mikitty

This afternoon I finally had some free time to take it easy, so I pulled up Morning Musume DVD Magazine Vol. 15 on my monitor. Sexy 8 Beat Concert. What comes to mind when you think of it? Images of the indigo opening, Genki+, purple costumes reminding me of Egao YES Nude, Yossie’s graduation, etc…all flashed through my mind in an instant. The last remainder of my photographic flashback is a familiar figure among the girls, and the last remainder of my audio flashback her nasal laugh and cynical voice; her Hokkaido dialect.

When the contents of this video began to unfold, I noticed that familiar figure standing to the side of the stage, waiting.

MM Brain Scan ‘07: Niigaki Risa

(Warning: It’s not as focused compared to the past brain scans. Not my best work.)

Happy 19th birthday to Gaki-san!

If I were asked to give a solid reason of why I like Gaki-san, I would stumble. She’s one of those that made it to the top of my list very early because of personal preferences. Sort of like…by default. Just as I love Chiaki of AAA because of her stable personality, the same goes for Gaki-san. I have a very soft spot for people like her.

I’ve always thought of Gaki-san as the most “normal” girl out of Morning Musume, not counting her reaction-queen characteristics (I’m also aware that I am contradicting the results of a psychological test on GAKI-KAME here). I say “normal,” but not necessarily ordinary; we’re talking about a singer who can pull off perfect MCs, whose personality is well-balanced and reliable, whose talents in singing and dancing are above average – an all-around variety idol. She is someone to be admired, and her presence is enough to make me smile.

AAA’s Future: Mikansei

I highly doubt AAA will face their end anytime soon. Despite the number of singles they have released, in the scope of the entire Japanese entertainment industry, AAA is still a new group with so much potential not to be underestimated. AAA’s future is still incomplete.

Rumors say that, by the release of the “AROUND” album, it’ll mark the end; finish off with a Best Album, and no more Triple A. I don’t think so. Take a look at dream. It’s got three websites [1][2][3]. dream officially began with three members: Mai Yui, and Kana. After a release of 13 singles and 3 albums, Mai left. Yu and Kana remained inactive until new members were added in a new audition. The 7-nin dream released 8 singles and 10 albums, plus 2 Best Albums. Just recently, I was checking Santos’ new blog, surprised to see dream off his list of links. I was wrong… What I had read on the list instead was “DRM.” Where would the link take me other than the new website of dream?

As I pondered dream’s redebut (of some sort) as DRM, I did also AAA’s future. Perhaps…who knows, right? Maybe AAA will go through a process similar to that of dream’s and redebut after releasing a Best Album? The time it is released could simply be the end of their contract with Avex. They’ve got a bright future ahead of them to start a new contract, though I’ll be honest in telling you that I am not at all near an expert when it comes to explaining how Avex works, so I should expect criticism as I have only made predictions.