Gratitude and Momusu DVD Magazine Vol.23

I’m really on a recent-Momusu kick right now. Am I really the only blogger who is enjoying the hell out of recent Momusu?

Anyway…viewing the aforementioned, recently English-subbed, DVD magazine was so much fun. And as most Momusu related things do, it made me think.

Thank goodness for fansubbers. They amaze me. They aren’t getting paid (I assume) for all the slaving they do, they are just sharing the wealth. It must take so long and it must be so frustrating. To do all that work just for the satisfaction of being able to share with other fans – that’s amazing to me.I appreciate them so much and I don’t comment nearly as much as my gratitude prompts me to. So, to all you fan-subbers – kudos. We’re grateful. Selfish as all hell, but grateful nonetheless.

You can call this sucking up if you want. Doesn’t change the fact that it’s true and you should all be damn grateful too.

That being said, let’s move on to the actual dvd.First of all, I didn’t sub this, or translate it. I’m going by HPS’s translations, so all credit goes to them – hence the grovelling to fansubbers I just did (seriously. Love you guys. THANK YOU!).

Now this isn’t a play-by-play review, as those seem tedious to me. This blog was started on a whim, is governed by whim and operates only when I feel the need to post my thoughts (and usually, far too many screencaps). To do a post that summarizes the whole thing seems tiring to me, which is why the Gokkie series is currently on hold. Besides, you should all watch it. What I’m here to comment on would be the segments in which we finally learn a little more about what the girls think of each other nowadays.

That, to me, is worth examining.
(Trust me, even if I had a life, I’d still be writing these…so hush.)

Mini Pic Spam: Mame becomes Kaori

Niigaki with her new Iida Kaori bangs makes me very happy…particularly because of expressions like this one:

It’s like she’s suddenly grown up when she makes expressions like that. I’m not actually saying she’s anything like Iida…just gonna say this….

Niigaki?

Nanchatte Renai – An Acquired Taste?

My initial reaction to the youtube radio rip of ‘Nanchatte Renai’ by Morning Musume was pretty much “…”

I honestly didn’t have a reaction at all, except maybe a mild “Oh…there’s a rap…kinda.” Then I saw the pv which for Isilie always means capping.

Let me guess: Makes you think of Roman My Dear Boy and/or Memory Seishun no Hikari?  The setting maybe…the song itself is a different story.

Platinum 9 Disco Concert~* Gaki made me do This

I’ve never done a concert review…but this most recent concert tour of Morning Musume’s made me want to.

I’d been waiting for this concert for a long time, partly because of how much I enjoyed Resonant Live, but also because I really loved the ninth album, enough that I was beyond curious as to how some of the tracks would translate live. Some times it’s better in the studio and sometimes a song is better live. There have been a bunch of album tracks from Momusu that I felt pretty neutral about until I saw them performed. Then suddenly there was something wonderful about them. ‘Love and Peace (etc)’ is one example.

So, I wondered if this concert would make me love the album more or make me think that most of it was better in the studio. Saying that “it was better in the studio” isn’t necessarily a crack at their singing abilities. It’s a matter of preference. Like I said, some things just sound better on the album because they are hard to translate live.

In Which Isilie catches up.

I’ve been away from here awhile, and what a while it’s been! We’ve gotten Momusu going across the sea (to somewhere other than Hawaii), new/old shuffle groups, new single for the girls, and so on and so on. I’ve been itching to post, so I decided to just cover those things and anything else that drifts through my mind because I really can’t think of a good way to connect them all.

Blogs = self indulgence.

Hooray!

And regarding this pic: do I ever need a reason for random Gokkie love? Gracious Mame is tiny, even compared to Takahashi!

To those people in the U.S who actually saw her up close, was it like looking at a tiny life-like doll? That’s the sort of image I get when I try to picture any of these girls as real live human beings. They look small enough on pvs and such, but in reality…man they must be tiny.

I’ll stop stating the obvious and just get on with it.

Pic Spam: Celebrating the 10,000 mark!

I think the rather smug (and AWESOME) smile Yossy wears in this photo says it all…over 10,000 people have read things on this site. YAAAY!!!

(Actually probably half of those are for my jailbaiting-Koharu-is-wrong post…not sure how to feel when the main searches that lead people here are “jailbait ass” and other such things. Aw well. Thanks for coming by anyway!)

I just kept looking at the hit-counter thing and blinking. It was unattractive and odd, but really, there was nothing I could do. When I started this entirely self-indulgent blogging business, I never thought anyone else (except that one person) would ever know it existed.

Actually, no one would ever have read this, nor commented at all, nor even called me names about this blog without International Wota. *bows humbly* Thanks for noticing me.

That being said, and also for the fact that all my planned posts have gone by the wayside for the time being, I decided to do what I always do when I want to nudge this place back to life a bit: pic spam!!! Honestly, you have to wonder who actually decides which pics get published.

Whoever it is, is a genius.

In which Isilie Wonders…

…rather than taking a new direction, has Morning Musume really just begun to return to form? Their music will always have that certain flavour that we expect from them, but in terms of theme, they seem to be slowly creeping backwards.

I’ll try to make this clearer.

I couldn’t stop watching the danceshot version of their new single ‘Shouganai Yume Oibito’ when it finally came out (thanks to HelloOnline as always). Usually dance-shots merely satisfy my curiousity rather than make me think. I find it frustrating that I can only see bits and pieces of a dance in a regular pv, especially if it’s an interesting one. That’s why the “real” pv for Resonant Blue didn’t bother me. I still like that dance and I still think the pv suited it. But I’m stubborn like that, and getting off topic. I love that this dance-shot takes place in what looks like a university library. It looks like a real location rather than a back-drop, which gives it a completely different feeling. I love the soft, feminine look of them. It reminded me slightly of the Sexy Boy video, but that one didn’t have the same vulnerability I felt in this one.

Maybe it’s just shots like this one that made me feel a sense of vulnerability, but they tend to reach forward for something over and over and never reach it.

Gokkie Series: A Look Back

Episode Two: The Audition prt.1

Ah, auditions. When we used to have Hello!Morning or Asayan, or even random specials in relation to Morning Musume, we had these wonderful behind-the-scenes looks at our girls before they were idols, when they were barely able to carry tunes or dance even the simplest dance. Ah, those were the days. This particular audition was quite detailed. Also, it was quite fortunately subbed ( thank you so very much HelloFansubs!!).

So, I bring you, the Gokkie’s audition: Love Audition 21, according to the special we have. Pics galore, so loading may take awhile. I will try to make it worth your time. This audtion occured right after Nakazawa graduated and they were completing their single ‘The Peace’. In this first part, I’ll cover the intro and their first night at training camp.

In Which Isilie covers a Bunch of things at Once…

So…I’ve been too busy to post lately and therefore, haven’t been able to comment on various things. Like how Matsuura is starring with Sakurai Sho (from Arashi) in a new drama and how freakin awesome it is (it’s FREAKIN AWESOME).

So…here’s a bunch of things I’ve not commented on yet.

What a great segue, eh?

btw: I love this picture. Mame still looks so tiny, even though she’s obviously matured beautifully. Ai looks great when she’s all boyish.

Kyaaaa, I love the Gokkies.

Anyway.

 

Shouganai ne?

I think it’s so funny that Momusu has gotten to the point that people can start complaining that their new stuff “isn’t as good as Resonant Blue” and that song was only a couple singles ago. I can still listen to that song over and over again. It was on my playlist today while I was walking home in the rain and it created a perfect atmosphere somehow. 

And that makes no sense to me because as far as repetitive pop goes…well, it’s damn repetitive. But I don’t get sick of it. I mean I don’t get sick of much, but I get mildly tired of songs sometimes and that hasn’t happened yet. RB has something I guess, because it still affects me in various ways. And it’s damn fun to sing.

Their new single, which I will go out on a limb and say is better than Naichau, is the same sort of song for me.

Damn they’re pretty…