Morning Musume - "Wagamama Ki no Mama Ai no Joke / Ai no Gundan" Single Review

Gosh I hate typing those stupidly long single names. Darn double A-sides.

For some reason I'm actually not super thrilled about reviewing this single. I have no idea why, but I kinda felt it was my duty to review it since I have consistently reviewed at least part of Morning Musume's singles since "Wakuteka Take a chance".

Let's talk real quick about how impressed I am with the success of this single. It was released August 28, and in just the first two days, it managed to sell a reported 105,414 copies. I absolutely cannot wait to see the week's sales. It's good to see that they're building their success back up with almost every single. Though of course double A-sides almost always sell more than normal singles, but whatever.

This is the group's first single without my favorite member Tanaka Reina. The group has proven with this single that they can carry on without her, even now that all the members, except the leader Michishige Sayumi, have only joined within the past two years. Also, this is the first single with Fukumura Mizuki (16) and Iikubo Haruna (18) as joint sub-leaders.

The single was released in two regular editions and five limited editions, which means two A-sides and three B-sides. Limited Editions A - C also come with bonus DVDs.

TRACK BY TRACK TIME!

1. Wagamama Ki no Mama Ai no Joke

So for this song I did something that I haven't done in a while with Morning Musume: I listened to the song for the first time and watched the music video at the same time. Something about hearing it on top of a brand new music video makes it that much cooler for me, so that may or may not have affected my opinion of this song.

Put quite simply: I love it. The combination of electronic sounds with those drums. I absolutely love the way it came out. The vocals are also great, and the "Aisaretai" line was just... whoa. I would really love to say something intelligent here about how great it sounds but I'm just too in awe of it, really. Not only the power behind that line, but the echo and just... the sound of it. Argh, I can't describe it, but I love every second of it. 

Also, when the other members chant "aisaretai", and it's layered over those drums, it's just like the sound of heaven. Something about the chanting makes me feel the unity among those members. Like they're now a team cheering each other on through the song. That really fits, since they cheer right before Riho or Mizuki or Masaki does her big line.

I never really realized it until a comment discussion I had with Chiima (of Okay! Musume Time) that the members really have great chemistry now. Back when the 9th Generation first joined, the chemistry was absolutely awful to me. It's like the group was split, and the new generation just seemed like the annoying little sisters. Now that they've almost all got the same amount of experience, there's really no superiority thing going on here. It's just ten awesome girls doing what they love and doing it as a team. Sure, some members end up hogging the spotlight more than others, but they really blend well like this. I completely love it.

Now for the music video of this song: OMG, it has a real setting! It may not be anything extravagant, but it's not like some boxed in fantasy world that only our idols live in. It's a real place, where they just have fun singing and dancing on stage. That panning thing they do with like three members at a time is so cool.

My first reaction when watching this video was me just sitting there, mouth hanging open, and occasionally squealing "Oh my gosh, this is so cool!" It's likely the lighting that really did it for me. The darkness in the beginning set the mood of coolness for the song,

The dance, while a little weird, is super energetic and cool. Of course Momusu has been known recently for their unique formations, and it really shows in this dance. The moves really go with the sound of the music, especially in the parts in the chorus where it's like a battle between the two halves of the group.

Personally, as far as both song and video, this A-side is my favorite of the two. It's not perfect, nor my favorite ever, but I will never forget that first reaction. That feeling that I get when I realize that I'm a fan of one of the coolest girl groups in the world. That feeling I've been getting for every single since "Renai Hunter". It just makes me happy that the world has group like this. (Okay that was cheesy but whatever!)

2. Ai no Gundan

This song gave me less of an excited reaction than Wagamama Ki no Mama. I heard this one while watching the dance shot, and the song really didn't impress me that much. This single is really kind of parallel to my feelings toward "Brainstorming / Kimi Sae Ireba Nani mo Iranai". I fangirled and replayed Brainstorming over and over, but Kimi Sae kind of bored me when I first heard. But there is a difference here: I eventually grew to like Kimi Sae, even better than Brainstorming. But I'm still not that impressed with Ai no Gundan.

I'm not a fan of the vocals. The only parts of it that sound good to me are "bonnou honnou" (especially by Sakura!) and that autotune bridge part before the last chorus. Those sounded really powerful and pretty to me, but something about the melody for the rest of the song just bores, and occasionally annoys, me.

And that main sound in between singing. Gosh I suck at describing it, but it's almost like a saxophone-like sound. Gosh I hate the way it sounds sometimes. (Which makes no sense when I compare it to the sax because I adore saxophones).

Okay, enough negativity, there are some things in this that I really do like, like the little Chinese sound in the background of the verses. And the "ao!" right before the chorus is so fun to do.

What really redeems this song is the dance. If you haven't seen it yet, you have to watch the dance shot for the full experience. The formations with the "hand salute" theme look incredible. It really shows another way that this group is like a team. This dance only looks good when all the members are doing it, because that's when you get the full effect, and the way they layer their moves to create the great formations. I truly love it and wish I had some Jpop-loving friends who would learn it with me. I also love the four-member dance break in the bridge; those girls are so talented!

The music video is good. It has some flaws and some beautiful points. Flaw: RETURN OF THE GLITTER! Why...? I have nothing else to say on that matter. But Riho and Sakura's beauty really makes up for it. Especially Sakura. I swear she looks exactly like a mini Ai-chan. And she sings like her, too! She wasn't impressing me much with her first two singles, but now she's really learning how to work the camera and she looks and sounds gorgeous. Speaking of working the camera: Riho. Rihoriho. She never. looks. bad. I dare you to find a shot in either of these music videos where she doesn't look her absolute best. Every angle. Every shot. How are you doing it, Riho? Tell me your secrets! I want to be as pretty as yoooouuuu!!!

The outfits in the music video are much better than the ones in Wagamama Ki no Mama. The red and black army-like outfits on top of the checkerboard -- holy chiz I just realized that they look like checkers! Really chess would be a better fit when you think about it, cuz of the whole army thing. But still I totally love the outfits. I really want those skirts, and if I could wear a hat (darn this curly hair), I would steal them too. They look really pretty in white, too, and the glitter in that scene actually works, like a beautiful fantasy world.

So in summary: not a fan of the song, love the dance, like the video.

3-1. Bouya

This is one of the two split-group songs of the single. The featured members are Michishige Sayumi, Fukumura Mizuki, Iikubo Haruna, Kudo Haruka, and Sato Masaki. This song is only on the Regular Edition A and Limited Edition D.

I like this song. The beat is nice and danceable, and it actually reminds me a bit of "Kanashiki Koi no Melody", one of my favorite Morning Musume's B-sides (from "Pyocopyoco Ultra"). I always enjoy video-game-like sounds in songs, and this song has a bit of that during the chorus.

The vocals are decent. Sayu's voice definitely isn't the best here. Of course she's never been the strongest singer, but normally they can disguise that with autotune or a cute song, but here it's very clear that, despite being the leader, she's still one of the weakest vocalists. I do like the melody of the song in the chorus, up until that last line ("bouya"). It's so... short and anticlimactic.

The song is nice, but it's missing something. I think it's actually doing better at showing the members' flaws instead of their talents. Still, it's easy and fun to listen to, so it wouldn't be a total waste of your time to play.

3-2. Funwari Koibito Ichinensei

This is the second split-group song. The featured members are Ishida Ayumi, Ikuta Erina, Sayashi Riho, Suzuki Kanon, and Oda Sakura. The song is only on Regular Edition B and Limited Edition E.

Okay, first of all: that "Yeah! C'mon" stuff at the beginning of the song -- I swear I have heard it before, but I cannot remember what song it was in. Does anyone else know?

So anyway, this song is kind of... boring. I really don't have that much to say about it. The vocals are very good, there are some parts of the music that I kind of like, and the rapping is cute. But the song is just so sleepy! So forgettable.

Maybe I'm just used to these upbeat dance numbers by now, but I really don't like this song. Moving on to the next!

3-3. Makeru Ki Shinai Konya no Shoubu

Finally, the group B-side! I really don't like split group B-sides. It's really not the same unless you have the whole group together, like I said -- acting as a team. This version is only on Limited Editions A - C, which of course are the versions with the DVD, so if you want this song (and don't use iTunes) then you'll have to pay extra for it. Boo.

I knew from the first five seconds of listening to this song that it would be my favorite of the B-sides. The intro sounds remind me a bit of C-ute's "Adam to Eve no Dilemma". Then the vocals start out with harmony. The melody is great for most of the song, and there are some really pretty intervals in there. There's a bit too much autotune in it for my taste, but some members still sang really well. Whoever did the last lines of the first and last chorus sounded amazing.

This song is a little slower than I expected, but I like it. It doesn't have to be super fast and all over the place to be a good song. Occasionally the vocals were a little whiny, but I really enjoyed the song as a whole.

Final thoughts on the single: This is not Morning Musume's best or most fun single they have released recently. I'm impressed with some songs, and I dislike others. I'm actually not that interested in buying it. But on a positive note, they are selling well, and even without Reina, they are doing very, very well, and I'm proud of them even if every single release isn't exactly perfect like I want it to be.

Let's Talk about Winx Club's Season 6 Trailer

This blog needs more magical girls! So how about a little Winx Club?

Those who know me probably know that Winx Club is one of my all-time favorite shows. When Season 5 came out, I was convinced it was going to be amazing. And even when some of the episodes were horribly written, I was in denial, convincing myself that the show would become better as the season went on. But the longer it went on, the worse it got. I finally came to realize this recently, and accepted the fact that maybe my show is not as perfect as I once thought it was. Maybe it's time for me to let go of it.

But then, today, Winx Club Season 6's trailer came out, and I fangirled just as much as I ever have.

So it's official, Winx Club will always be in my heart. As I always say, I've been a fan for eight years; I've come too far just to quit now!

Now there's a lot in this trailer to talk about: some good, some bad, some... different. Even though we don't know a whole lot about the premise of the season, we can still get some good ideas just from watching the video (over and over and over again, as I did...).

You can tell from the intro that this season will be fairy-tale-themed. I've said before that I've really been missing the fantasy element from the series that they took away when they went to Earth in the fourth season, and then focused too much on the underwater theme in the fifth season. So the emphasis on fairy tales here is a almost a sure sign that I will get what I've been waiting for: more fantasy, more world exploration, more monsters, and more of the Magic Dimension! What interests me is wondering whether they will use classic fairy tales or create their own fairy-tale-like world. I mean, if you think about it, Winx Club is pretty much a fairy tale of it's own. I actually hope they don't use classic fairy tales too much, because, quite honestly, it will just remind me too much of Ever After High. And I know people will start comparing them if they do.

Now what do we have here? A new character! Looks like we're actually getting a female villain that's not the Trix. Well, okay, we did have Mandragora and the Ancestral Witches in the movies, but as far as the series goes this is are first main female antagonist since the Trix. Just from the look of this character, I already like her. She looks very devious, cruel, and manipulative. If you're a villain, those are some pretty awesome traits! She seems like a smart villain. She's able to use this book to bring "storybook monsters to life". I'm really hoping that they will give her an awesome backstory. Tritannus's motives were just so pathetic, so I'm really excited for this change!

EDIT: The character's name has been confirmed to be Selina. She is a new witch at Cloud Tower. (credit goes to Michael's Winx Club and his scan of the Licensing Show flyer)

Well I guess some things never change. The Trix are back. Again. You're kidding me, right? Why are the Winx still acting so scared of them? They've beat them *counts on fingers* five freaking times. The Trix obviously aren't even competent villains anymore. In fact, they haven't been since the first season. You know why? Because they keep acting as the minions to other villains! It may have been the 4Kids dub (I can't remember) but I seem to recall one of them, in Season 3, complaining about how they always team up with losers. And yet, they still do it. Will they ever learn? And I know this is a kids show, but you'd think after trying to destroy the world five times they'd finally take some real action: kill the stupid witches! If the Omega Dimension couldn't even hold them, why, oh why, are you still leaving them alive?

On the bright side: they look wickedly fabulous in their new outfits. Just sayin'.

Both the Specialists and the Winx are getting new uniforms this season. You've already seen a glimpse of Stella's, but we'll get to that in a minute. Right now, how about the Specialists? I like how it doesn't differ completely from their original uniform. They kept the blue, the cape, and the gem thing in the center. This one seems a bit more practical, though, as they've added some armor to the mix. I'm not completely crazy about the look right now, but maybe I'll like it more as I watch the actual season. The Specialists look just as handsome as ever, though. :)

I'm wondering who those guys in red are. My first thought was that they could be from some random, rival school, but then I found it ironic that the guys in blue are the ones that go to RED Fountain. XD Maybe they're from Eraklyon?

Now here's the fun part: MONSTERS! I'm not sure why, but I've been really into fantasy monsters lately. Maybe it's because of my recent obsession with The Hobbit, maybe it's Monster High wearing off on me. Or maybe I've just missed the monsters from previous seasons and I never knew it. But knowing that monsters are going to be a large part of their fights is soooo exciting for me!

Oh yeah, baby! New transformation time! These outfits are so fantasy-esque, and they remind me a lot of the original designs for the fairies before the series was released. Though the images in this trailer aren't super clear, I'm really loving what I see, especially the wings! My only complaint is that, from what I can see, the fairies' outfits look too similar, just like they were last season. C'mon Rainbow, where's the diversity?

Now we get a close look at them school uniforms. At least, I think that's what they are. Unless the Winx have just become so close they've decided to coordinate all their outfits. If it's actually a uniform, shouldn't they... all look the same? Whatever it is, I am not a fan. The collars, the pink and grey together... people have compared it to Japanese anime, but to me it's more like something out of a Barbie movie. Not that I dislike Barbie movies, but I swear I've seen an outfit from there that looks just like those.

But I must admit, Tecna is always stylin', even in those crappy colors.

And finally... this. Two questions: 1) Is that an alternate transformation?, and 2) 3D again? WHYYYYYY?

First off: we don't need two transformations. You tried that last season, and all it meant was that we got a very short time with each transformation (I miss Harmonix), and both ended up being very forgettable. If you guys do pull the same freaking trick again I swear I will scream.

Secondly: 3D. Just, ugh. It ruins the look of Winx Club for me. I dealt with it for one season, but not again, please. I just can't take it any more.

So what did you think of the trailer? What are you excited about? What are you not looking forward to?

Feel free to leave a comment.

Winx Club Season 6 premieres Sunday, September 29, at 1:00 P.M. EST on Nickelodeon.

StylipS - Prism Sympathy

Well hello everyone! Are you glad to see me two days in a row? ;)

Today I am reviewing the latest single by the totally cute and fun seiyuu group StylipS! The group features former Hello! Pro Kenshuusei member Noto Arisa (my favorite), so I'm putting the Hello! Project label on this post.

StylipS' latest single is titled "Prism Sympathy", and it is the ending theme for the new anime Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya. I actually did watch the first episode of this anime, for the fact that it is magical girls and StylipS sings the ending song, but I dropped it because I know nothing of Fate/stay night nor do I have any desire to watch it.

This is also the first single to feature StylipS' new members Toyota Moe and Ito Miku.

The single consists of one A-side, two B-sides, and three instrumentals. I will only be covering the A-side and the first B-side, as the second is a re-recording of an older song of theirs. The Limited Edition of the single comes with a bonus DVD with a music video, dance video, two "making of" videos, and a CM.

1. Prism Sympathy

Obviously the first track on this single is the title song, "Prism Sympathy". My first impression of this song when I heard it in the anime was that I wanted to sing along to it already, even though I didn't know the melody! The song has a nice strong beat in it that is fun to dance to. The song is simple anime pop, with a bit of guitar in the bridge, that doesn't necessarily bring much new to StylipS disocgraphy, but I'm okay with that. As long as StylipS stays fun and happy, it's all right!

I have only seen the short version of the music video, but from what I've seen, it's very nice. I love the set, and the outfits are beautiful, especially the sparkly gloves. The new members blend in with the group very well. But of course Arisa is still the queen to me. My only complaint is Maho's hair. It just looks weird to me.

2. Tsunagu Kizuna Tsutsumu Kodoku

The main B-side of this single is amazing! I absolutely love this song! The song starts out with a beautiful piano; as a pianist, I always appreciate any bit of piano in the song. And to my delight, the piano didn't stop after the intro! It remained throughout the entire song, making the strong melody even more beautiful. The bridge of the song comes in and we get a guitar solo which reminds me of Buono!'s older songs.

The vocals in the song really are great, I think. Sure, they're idols; their voices aren't the best. But they really delivered a lot of strength and emotion in the song that just made me love it even more. I would absolutely love to see StylipS perform this live someday. I really hope they will!

Well, that's all for this review! I hope you enjoyed it and I definitely recommend purchasing the single to support StylipS! Let me know what you think in the comments!

T-ara with Davichi (feat. Skull) - Bikini

Gosh darn it, I didn't write anything all July. I've been writing several drafts (got halfway through an entire album review) but I haven't gotten to finish anything.

I really need to stay on top of this so I can stop starting every post with an apology.

SO ANYWAY!  For a while, since January or February, I had pretty much lost all interest in Kpop. I'm starting to get back into it, but it's coming veeerrryyyy slowwwlly. Because, let's face it, the quality of Kpop just isn't what it was in, say, 2011. (That's how I see it anyway.

So to help myself get back into it more quickly, I figured it wouldn't hurt to do a little Kpop review!

...and of course I pick T-ara, one of my least favorite girl groups.

Smart move, Shayna.

Okay, I'll try to be serious for just a few seconds here. The latest digital single by T-ara with Davichi (or Davichi with T-ara if you go by the cover, oddly) is titled "Bikini", and it features Skull. Who is Skull, you ask? I have no idea, I was hoping you would know.

The song is very sweet, relaxing, and summery. While T-ara's vocals are mostly their usual sweet, kinda cutesy voices, Davichi pretty much owns the song with their powerful and simply gorgeous, mature voices. And of course, there's Skull, who has a very raspy voice. It's nice in the fact that it reminds of an island beach, but annoying because it makes my throat hurt just listening to it.

While the song is really nothing spectacular, it's nice. It's also pretty interesting because it sounds nothing like T-ara's previous work. I'm pretty good at naming Kpop bands just by listening, but if someone played this for me I would never have guessed it was T-ara. I can't exactly say why, but something about it is different.

The video is nice as well; I mean, you can't really go wrong with a beach video. It makes me want to go back to the beach again before summer is over. The stars of the video are apparently not T-ara (I honestly didn't even notice, as I know little about the group besides their popular songs), but to me that doesn't matter. Who says only T-ara can have fun? ;)

So, yeah. Honestly this was just a post to get me back into the habit of writing more, but this single didn't really impress me that much. It's nice, but not really worth listening to more than two or three times. And for a T-ara / Davichi collab, it's definitely no "We Were in Love" (awesome song if you haven't heard it).

But it's just a digital single so I can't say I expected too much. *shrugs*