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!
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*
I'm still writing about what I love, no matter how old the song is. This single is a little over a month old, which is pretty long in terms of blogging. Do I care? Heck no!
So today we're going to talk about my second favorite Japanese idol group (after Buono!, of course), Morning Musume. Regardless of whether or not you like their new style or members, you have to have respect for this group. They've been around for almost sixteen years, have released fifty-three singles (thirteen of which were #1 on the Oricon charts), have had a nice rotation of members, and despite their later dip in popularity have now risen back up to be one of Japan's favorite idol groups. Not to mention how many tours they've had. I would really love it if Morning Musume would just be around for the rest of my life. They'd be the oldest band ever! How cool would that be?
Anyway, today I'm talking about their most recent single, "Brainstorming/Kimi Sae Ireba Nani mo Iranai". It's Tanaka Reina's graduation single (my favorite Momusu member of all time; I miss you already!), and it is awesome! It keeps with the electronic dance pop that they've been doing since "Renai Hunter", but every single they release seems to change it up just a little bit in the details, which to me is very noticeable and makes every single special.
This single contains six total songs: three by the full group, one by Tanaka Reina, one by the five oldest members of the group, and one by the five youngest members. And every song is special in it's own way.
Let's start with the first title track, "Brainstorming."
I first heard this song when the "Loose Shot Ver." was released on YouTube back in February, and I was in awe at how cool it was! The mechanical sound effects combined with the electronic music, with simple but totally cool vocals just made me like it. It's actually pretty hard to explain, but listening to it just gives me this feeling. And hello, is that Iikubo Haruna actually getting a real solo line? Heck yes!!!
The background in the dance shot makes it cool, too. The stage is huge and allows the members to spread out into their unique formations that they've been known for recently. And of course the best thing is the arm wave move in the dance that looks like brainwaves. How cool is that?
The full video didn't really add much to the dance shot, so I was quite disappointed with it. But the addition of subtitles made up for it just a little bit (though I wish they had just used the captions feature!).
Next up is the second A-side, "Kimi Sae Ireba Nani mo Iranai"!
When I first heard this song, I honestly wasn't that impressed. I thought it couldn't possibly compare to "Brainstorming". But next thing I know, this is actually my favorite between the two!
The vocals are much stronger in this one, with an actual melody that really helps you to feel what they're singing about, even if it's not much more than your typical teenage love song. The music is also incredibly fun, and after watching the dance, you will most definitely want to be one of those two thousand people on the dance floor.
Like "Brainstorming", the dance shot for this came out first. It was obviously much cheaper due to the background simply being curtains. However, because I knew it was cheap, I actually expected less from the full music video than I did for "Brainstorming", and therefore I was not as disappointed. So in a way, I actually like this music video better because it was exactly what I expected. (Well, maybe not exactly; they did cut out the close-up shots.)
The best thing about the video though is their outfits! I wasn't sure what I thought about them at first, but I've grown to like the flapper dress with the cool hair accessories and gloves. Reina looks the best of all of them. They only thing that bothers me is Haruka wearing a cap. It just doesn't fit the dress at all. But Reina's and Riho's bows are sooo cute!
So while the dance isn't really anything special, it's so much fun to dance along to while singing at the top of your lungs. Seriously, if you haven't done this yet, I think something is wrong with you.
Now we have Tanaka Reina's graduation song, "Rock no Teigi".
The name of this song means "the definition of rock," and I'm honestly not sure why it is named that because I barely hear any rock in this song at all. At the same time, I think this might have been the goal: combine Reina's idol history with just a touch of rock and let her jump into her new career as the lead singer of LoVendoR, but still have one last pop song. At least, that's how I interpret it.
The song can be very interesting if you pay close attention. The melody does a great job of showing off her vocal ability and range. I love hearing just a little bit of her lower voice, while also hearing her flawlessly hit the high notes. She seems to have put all her focus into this song and delivered what I think is a very nice performance. (Then again, I could be biased.)
I've only seen the full video once, so I can't say much about it, but all that is officially uploaded is her close-up shot. Still, I don't mind this, since I get to see her lovely face for her last music video. Visually, it's not her best performance, as I think she has a tendency to lose focus in her close-ups. But I love seeing her look pretty in pink, wearing a leopard-print bow, and just being a pop idol for one last time.
Oh my gosh, guys, I think I'm about to cry now…
So it's no "Egao ni Namida", but it's still a nice graduation song. Congrats, Reina!
Now for the group B-side, "A B C D E-cha E-cha Shitai".
I can't read that title without singing it. This song is definitely the catchiest on the single. It's a little messy, with sounds and autotune going in all different directions, and not the best vocal performance from the members. Still, with the easy to pick up lyrics, and totally danceable music, it was not long until I started to love it. Next thing I know I'm singing the "uh-oh" parts (the best part to me), "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 *kiss*", and "L-O-V-E, love love love me do." I have a feeling this would be a blast to see in concert!
Also, the line distribution on this song is crazy. I have no idea who the lead vocals even are. But this just makes it more fun because everyone gets to participate and have fun. It's like one big party with all the Momusu girls! Yay!
This is my favorite song on the single, "Tokimeku Tokimeke".
The song features the five oldest members of Morning Musume: Sayumi, Haruna, Ayumi, Mizuki, and Erina.
There's something about this song that I just love. The vocals are just so cute yet are sung with feeling, too. There's nothing fake about it.
And of course, it has so much energy! Even now, as I'm listening to it and typing this, I can't stop dancing!
Man, it bothers me that even though this is my favorite song, I don't have much to say about it. I guess that just shows how I feel about songs. I hardly ever think, I just know when they're good when I feel it. Wow, that sounds really stupid.
Anyway, listen to it and maybe you'll see what I mean.
And finally we're at the end of this thing with "Itsumo to Onnaji Seifuku de".
This song is by the youngest members of Morning Musume: Haruka, Masaki, Sakura, Kanon, and Riho.
I suppose this is the song for those who aren't into the electronic sound, because this is as good as it's gonna get. Still, I can't recommend it because to me it's just a bit sleepy. I expected a more youthful, happy song, but instead it's just like a boring album filler song. Still, I love Masaki's cute voice and it definitely shines in this song.
I think there's a reason why this song was last, because to me it's the worst. I suppose there's nothing wrong with it, I just expected more. Where's the energy? Where's the fun? It's cute yes, but not what I expected.
I feel almost bad giving a negative review of this song, since the rest was praised so highly. I still encourage you to listen to it and form your own opinion on it.
Overall, it's a nice, well-rounded single that I really recommend buying, though you will have to buy several different versions if you want all the songs. Remember that it's on iTunes if you just want to buy the songs cheap.
And please tell me you enjoyed this review or found it helpful because it took me forever to write. :P
I have so many things I want to say about their new music video that the thoughts are all getting jumbled inside my brain and I can't do anything but scream!
RAINBOW IS BAAAAAAAAAAACK!
It's been almost two years since they've been in Korea, people! TWO FREAKING YEARS! I'm not even a huge fan of this group but this comeback makes me so happy!
"Tell Me Tell Me" is probably Rainbow's most colorful video since "Gossip Girl". It's fun; it's girly; it's something that Rainbow hasn't released in a while, but it's adorable and very catchy.
Of course the song is not perfect; the instrumental almost sounds like it was made in Garage Band, and the melody doesn't show off their vocals as well as their past singles. But something about this song makes you want to dance around the room and sing along. Also, Jisook's voice at about 2:23 is just amazing to me. She has a unique quality, and I think just from that one line she may become my favorite Rainbow member.
The video is nice as well; the backgrounds are really cute and the girls look beautiful, especially since a lot of them have new hair styles! I think my favorite outfit is the blue jeans with the white tops, because I love the fabric on the shirts! And they have cute rainbow necklaces and shoes with their member colors. The sneakers with the tied jackets reminded me a little too much of a certain recent video by another girl group... not saying any names, but you know who I'm talking about. Still, they do it in a more cute and innocent way, not straying from their concept.
Overall I'm very happy with Rainbow's comeback, and I'm so glad it wasn't as forgettable as "Sweet Dream". Sure, it's not the most unique, and I know a lot of people have something against anything cute, but I love it. I could not be any happier right now!
Now I just have to wait for 2PM's comeback...
(P.S., I might review Rainbow's album... Stay tuned!)
I'm trying out another new artist today! Actually, I like these short reviews a little better than the long ones. I'd rather share more songs than share more of my own opinion. That's the reason why I started blogging -- to share what I love with other people!
So today I listened to a group called Idol College. Oh how I loathe group names with the word "idol" in them. It's so unoriginal. Apparently the group started out under the name B.L.T. Idol College (now I want a sandwich...), but they switched out all their members and became simply Idol College. Shoujo Sotsugyou / YOZORA is their second single since the group change.
The first track on the single is "Shoujo Sotsugyou". I love this song so much! It's incredibly catchy and fun, and I'm pretty sure you can never go wrong with a little electric guitar. The echo effect when they sing the title words is so cool and infectious! I definitely wouldn't say it's anything to make them stand out above other idol groups, but it's still a very strong single, and the girls are really cute.
There's not much to the video except a few short scenes and an adorable dance shot, but I really recommend watching it if you want a happy, catchy song to listen to.
The second song is YOZORA. Do I have to review this? I have no idea why this is even an A-side. It's such a boring song. It's like there's no climax; the song is always at the same spot, it's almost monotone. It's like a boring anime theme. Actually, now that I think about it, it probably would fit an anime well. But as a regular single, it's just not up to par.
The name of the song means "night sky", so of course we get a rooftop dance shot. It's weird though because it keeps alternating between sunset and pure night. And the dancing is just so awkward. The video also has random drama scenes that I can't seem to understand (I've never been good with drama scenes anyway; I always have to get someone to tell me what's happening).
So in summary, let's just say… this was the first of the two videos that I saw, and it almost made me never want to watch another Idol College video again. I know it's harsh, and like I say with all other songs I dislike, maybe it'll grow on me. But unless it appears in an anime, I'm really not interested.
To be honest, I think I actually would've liked it if it had been a B-side.
C-ute has officially released the music video for their new single "Kono Machi"! And I'm finally back from being ill and having loads of school to do! You know what that means? It's review time!
After Kimi wa Jitensha's huge success last year, it seems that they have decided to see if releasing a ballad will work a second time. I have no idea how well this will sell, but at least it's a decent song choice (originally by Moritaka Chisato). In fact, as I'm writing this I'm singing the song in my head. It's such a lovely melody that I can't help but to love it!
Now let's get to the music video, shall we?
This music video is very simple. It starts out with close-ups, which are actually really close-up! I somewhat have a hatred for those types of close-ups, where all you can see is their face. However, since C-ute is basically the prettiest group in Hello! Project, I think it's okay. :)
Airi's earrings are adorable; I want them!
A few shots of the town are shown, and soon the members are singing in front of them. It's pretty cheap (why couldn't they film on location like they did in Kimi wa Jitensha?), but I actually love the tiled effect on the image; at least it's unique! Each member has a different part of town that they sing in front of (and fake like their walking through).
That must be the train they catch to get home! *chuckles*
This was totally just an excuse to add another Airi picture.
Beautiful use of split screen here!
Besides these scenes, the only thing left in the video is a scene of them in the grey room sitting on boxes. I appreciate this scene because of the fact that a similar scene was taken out of a certain music video... Wakuteka Take a chance
How are you all so pretty???
Because this is yet another ballad, it's hard for me to do anything but compare it to the one from last year. I normally don't like to compare things, but it's impossible not to in this case.
I like the song much better. In fact, I didn't even like Kimi wa Jitensha when it first came out. I thought it was much too overdramatic and it just didn't fit my taste. This song, however, is more sentimental and lovely. It's easier to listen to and sing or just hum along with. The use of monologues was cute as well. Even though it's not their most spectacular single yet, it left a good impression from the moment I first heard it.
I love the outfits for the video as well. Last year's singles had rather boring costumes, but these are just so cute! The necklaces are beautiful, the skirts are adorable, and the shape is very flattering on all of them, especially Mai! Their hair is done simply but beautifully, and I really don't have any complaints for the entire ensemble.
So there you have it: a simple video for a simple song. Is it enough? I think so, and I'm glad it differs from their last ballad, but maybe to some it is too boring. Be sure to watch the video and let me know what you think!
I'm sorry I'm a little late, but I hope everyone has a great 2013! My personal goal is to not waste as much time. I want to make my year worthwhile. Do you have any goals or resolutions this year?
This is a rather short post but I just wanted to update you all. I have been very sick for the past week, and while I probably could blog more, I just really don't feel like it. Whenever I'm sick, using my brain just makes it worse. I really wanted to review Girls' Generation's "I Got a Boy", too. :( Well, I guess I don't really need to, because I can just sum up my opinion in two words: it sucks.
Anyway, I probably won't blog again until I'm fully recovered. I'm really sorry for the inconvenience!
Let's hope 2013 brings us lots of good music and other fun things, okay?
