[ALBUM REVIEW] From Smart to Colourful, what a character change!

aka, wow, what a cringe-worthy title there, Phob

As always, all opinions are my own. Not your's. Don't get upset if we don't agree on something.

 

It's a cruddy gradient-effect background, but I like the concept. I even don't mind that Riho's hogging centre-position again. But that's cause I like the shade of read she's wearing.

 

Okay, so, I'm a little late in reviewing this, but I have been planning to since it was released and have actually put off listening to most tracks on the album so I could listen to it while I reviewed. I had planned to ignore the whole album until the review, but I'm not the best at resisting temptation.

 

 

1. One・Two・Three

So, it opens with a single. This song is Jedward - overly-autotuned and either or loved by hated by all those who listen to it. I actually do like this song but I don't really want to review in too much detail. It's catchy, yes, and the lyrics are really easy to learn. I don't hate autotune, either, but there's a limit. Riho and autotune don't work as well as UFP thinks, basically. If you're someone who actually sounds good without autotune (which Riho does, in my opinion, as long as she's not singing live - she gets a bit shouty), you have to sound good with autotune, or else it seems pointless. Reina works it, in my opinion. Okay, okay, no, Riho doesn't sound bad with autotune at all, but her adlibs don't sound cool, basically. Maybe she just sounds strained and autotune can't fix it? I don't know. Whatever. Good song. Yep.

 

2. What's Up? ~Ai wa Dou na no you~

This is a really fun song, and parts of the backtrack remind me of Spyro BGM - something that is never lost on me. The shouty parts bother me, but only cause the weird whisper-talky voice is weird. I don't like soft, little voices like that, but that's just me. Also. Um. The rap. It's not the worst, but it's hardly commendable. Beats Miya in Loving You Too Much, though. Okay, it can pass, cause it's cute. If only Reina's rhythm was better, cause the Yankee voice works so well for rap. The line distribution is less horrendous, too. Not perfect, but that's asking far too much. I love the song's melodies, they're really catchy. And the instrumental break is great. It's so dramatic...seems like it could be used for some kind of montage.

Another plus point for this song is that I could totally imagine a PV for it. Okay, so, sometimes, I like to make my own PVs in my head and I really could for this song. For me, that's a good thing. It enhances the listening experience.

 

3. Be Alive

This is, quite possibly, one of the best Morning Musume ballads in a long time. It's definitely my favourite in some time, if not my hands-down favourite. This is another song where I could really imagine a PV for it, so, bonus points!

The melody and the mood of this song are perfect. I think that's why it's one of my favourite ballads. It has the right elements that make me like a ballad. The melancholic yet hopeful mood. I love that.

Another thing that really draws me to this song is the way that it's slow and mellow at first but it then picks up without effecting the overall mood any. It's really beautiful and part of me is angry that this wasn't a single. Ballads can be singles, after all! The instruments in the back remind me of Seishun Collection - this song basically has everything that Seishun Collection lacked, though, what it lacks in comparison is the powerful, lower vocals the group had at that point. Though, that being said, those vocals clearly aren't necessary because this sounds amazing just as it is. Thank you, Lord Tsunku-boy!

 

4. Lalala no Pipipi Michishige Sayumi

So, on the last album, we had that one track that annoyed me (Suki da na Kimi ga), but it grew on me eventually...so, to that extent, I will give this song a chance. Again, Sayu's voice is...not for me, but it works in this song, I guess. It's not a bad song, really, but I don't like it. It's annoying. But, I can listen to it. It's annoying but listenable, and distressingly catchy. But, random Sayu-falcetto note? No, thanks. All in all, it's a song I would only listen to every so often. I won't deny, though, that this is the perfect song for Sayu and it is a pretty cute song. But that cute is too bubble-gum, candy-floss, sugar and candy love hearts-y for me, if you get what I mean. It's too sweet sounding for my personal tastes. I love a cute song, but, it all depends. It's not bad but, for me, it's not great, either~

5. Dokka~n Cappricio
This song is really awesome - reminds me of OK YEAH! from the previous album, only better. The backtrack is more to my tastes - it's a little harder, if you get what I mean. The song has a darker feel. That isn't to say, though, that it's a dark song. It really isn't.
It's really catchy and the chorus is really easy to pick up on, especially the 'Sara ni Sexy~' lines and stuff~ Those reminds remind me slightly...of a dance-y version of Pink Lady's Nagisa no Sinbad.
What I love about this song is that it catches me straight from the beginning. I'm seriously drawn in by that opening instrumental. And the slightly lower vocals, as opposed to normal, draw me in, too. I seriously can't wait to see the live performances of this song. It would be amazing live, which was Tsunku's intention, right? It is the perfect song for a live performance, though.

6. The Matenrou Show
Right, another single track, then~ The poor second A-side that was never granted a real music video.
My first criticism of this song came to me the moment I heard it - it sounds a bit too much like it should be by Berryz. And not old-school Berryz, but Berryz as we know them now. The instrumental at the start sounds a lot like Shining Power, if you ask me. It's not a bad thing, I have to point out, but, it's also not a good thing. Don't get me wrong, I love Berryz and their songs, but I prefer the groups having their own sounds.
That aside, I do like this song a lot. I did say I love Berryz's songs, so, even if it bugged me slightly, I can't help but like this song. Also, the 'Ai no Arashi' lines are fun. But only cause...y'know...Arashi. Eheh.
The chorus is really fun, though~ I love the melody! And, I have to say, the dance looked really awesome, too.
Another criticism of this would be, though, the line distribution was especially atrocious. Only two members got lines. But, fortunately, I can actually listen to a song with bad line distributions and love them. It doesn't ruin the song for me (for example, I love KAT-TUN's Bokura no Machi de...hell, I even love C-ute's SHOCK).

7. Zero Kara Hajimaru Seishun
This is one of the songs I haven't heard before and I can say...this was unexpected. From the title, I was really expecting another cool song. But, this is nice, too.
The vocals sound really pretty, everyone sounds nice. Yes, Sayu too. Actually, yes, I'm verging on liking Sayu's voice here (NB : I like Sayu, just not her voice sometimes). Except, Daishi still sounds out of breath, bless her. Zukki sounds adorable and I'm still trying to work out why Kuduu and Eripon don't get more lines (I have recently developed strong love for Eripon's voice).
 What I love about the backtrack, though, at least in the verses, is that it sounds like Sims shopping music! I love that music.
And, oh, look, decent line distribution. I think a perfect line distribution is when there are obvious lead singers who get more lines yet everyone else still gets a decent amount of lines. Which seems to be the case in the song - if not, I was too busy typing this up to pay any attention.
The chorus is really pretty and sweet. It's a cute song and, if it had a PV, it would definitely be full of pastel colours...either an assortment of pinks and blues, or the member colours. Or both, depending on the scene! Oh! But, yeah, it's an adorable song.

8. Ren'ai Hunter
Another single, and the only track on the entire album to feature any members of my favourite gen, the fabulous 5th gen -sniffs-
Anyway, that aside. the actual song, yep.
I atcually loved this song from the moment I heard it but I love it less now. Maybe because everyone underestimated how hard it was to sing and made it the next single in nearly all of their pros? I hate singing this. The words are really fast which wouldn't be an issue if it only it weren't for how hard the rest of it is, at least at the chorus. Exactly the kind of song I end up screaming through, here. And, truth be told, I think I've heard line one or two actually good dub of this and a couple of mediocre ones. No offence intended there. It's just, I mean, it's a hard song. That, or I'm doing something wrong here. I sign harshly, not softly, so, yeah. Not that any of that's relevant. It just sort of ruined the song for me, in terms of excitement anyway.
Other than that, ignoring my dubbing mindset, this is a really awesome song. I like the whole dubstep thing going on. This is how J-Pop dance should sound. Definitely. Even if I prefer Wakuteka. Combine them and maybe you'll have a perfect Morning Musume song, I don't know? Though, perfection, as far as MoMusu's concerned, requires Ai...hm.
I apologise for that whole review there, but, since this song is kind of...old news compared to the rest of the album, I thought I'd take the opportunity to rant~

9. Chikyuu ga Naiteiru
This is one of my favourite tracks of the album.
The start of this song reminds me slightly of 2NE1's I AM THE BEST. Just the little weedly bits...if you get what I mean. You get it, right? And then the main guitars kick in and it sounds like Spyro music again!! Every song that reminds even remotely of the Spyro OST is a win for me, as I said earlier. The whole backtrack of this song sounds that way, too. I love it!
The verses are fun, I love the weird note-draggy stuff. And it's very catchy (I say that too much), but it is. And, thumbs up to the song, because I like Sayu's solo lines! They suit her. And Reina sounds properly cool in this. I generally think that Reina is cool, but, she's got a lower voice here. Low-pitch!Reina is actual love, guys, just saying.
The chorus is really awesome. It's got a really cool feeling and it's...sort of dramatic? Like, it would totally be an awesome theme song for something. Lost of raised fists and stamping and stuff, I don't know. But I really like it.
Furthermore, I generally adore this paticular style of song, Spyro-similarities aside. Well done, song!

10. Namida Hitoshizuku Tanaka Reina
This song is possibly tied with Be Alive for my favourite track of the album. I never expected that my favourites would be the two balalds as Morning Musume ballads don't normally impress all that much. They're normally a bit bog-standard and soppy. But these two do everything right.
I love that they keep giving Reina ballads and more mature songs. She really sounds her best in these. All the doubts I've had regarding her voice have been totally cleared up both by this track and Futsuu no Shoujo A. She sounds really pretty here and she's brilliant at conveying sadness. The melody of this song really sticks, too. I swear, about 3 or 4 listens of this song and I've got the tune pretty much entirely memorised yet, somehow, I still can't quite remember the tune of Ai no Honoo's verses...
This is easily my favourite Reina solo, too. I love seeing this side of her. It really adds to the image I have of her being really cool. I prefer the cool and mature Reina to the cutesy and sweet Reina. Also, this song is perfect for that vibrato-thingy she has going on. I am too glad Reina got this song and it more than makes up for my annoyance regarding Sayu's solo.

11. Waratte!YOU Qkies & 10kies
This is is another track I haven't listened to before, so let's see how it goes~
It kind of reminds me a little of older Ayaya tracks, in a way. I think it's the trumpets. But, in general, it's very reminsicent of certain older H!P songs, such as Ayaya ones, like I said, and some older MoMusu songs, from around the time 6th Gen joined up until 4th Gen left. It's got that same kind of mood to it.
I must say, it's also quite nice to hear all the younger girls (aside from Riho - not saying it's not nice, rather, it's nothing new)' voices. They're all getting multiple lines, it's great!
To be honest, I was a tad worried they might get stuck with an overly cutesy song or a mature song. I wanted to see a new side of them, but, luckily, that's what this song does! It's a really fun song without being stupidly cutesy. Really, I'm officially sad that this doesn't have a PV. I could totally imagine it having a PV...something like The Bigaku, but with better outfits.
Also, Zukki sounds awesome in this, as does Haruka I love those two~

12. PyocoPyoco Ultra
The last track, and another single. So, it opens and ends on a single. To be honest, that never really takes my fancy. I want to start with a song that sets up the mood for the whole album, so it has to be a new song, right? As for the end...I don't know, I just prefer if it ends on something new, for that lasting impression, you know? But, that's just me.
This song's really cute, though. But, a tolerable kind of cute. Fun cute. Not sweet cute. Fun cute is my kind of cute. Not that other pissh that's so innocent and sweet that it's just unnerving. I'm cynical, I do apologise.
And, personally, I don't care that they're dressed as chickens! It's stupid but it's cute and it fits with the song!! STUPID CUTE IS GOOD, TOO! But, really, at first, it pissed me off because I thought it was some kind of sign that Morning Musume were going to quit being the cool group and become all cutesy - they already had S/mileage for that!! But, it turned out to be a one-off, so I don't really care anymore. Right, no, I never disliked the song, it was a nice song from the start. But, the whole idea of mood and stuff...yeah. Also, the way the fandom errupted bugged me. Personally, I think it was a slight over-reaction on the part of many people.
Calm yo' titties, people

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 Overall, this is a really nice album. There's a similar feeling, though mood, tone, style, energy, ect. does vary greatly, throughout the entire thing. This album is a perfect representation of the current Morning Musume. Like, if you wanted to say, 'this is what they are now, this is what they have become', you'd show them this. 12, SMART didn't so well in this respect, as it seemed like it was trying to find where it fit in - was it mature and sexy, or was it both cool and cute? It was a good album, and I possibly prefer most of the songs, but, as an entire package, it was a little lost in terms of theme, I feel. The album cover also pretty much adds to this album's feel. And, I have to say, there are probably few better ways to describe this album than 'colourful'. There's a great variety of song, yet they all blend together without clashing. That is colourful! Clashing is...garish! I probably, as an entire album, prefer 13 Colourful Character to the last few, but, for me, it still doesn't have enough power to defeat 2010's 10 MY ME.



[SINGLE REVIEW] So, UFP took a chance and decided to actually spend money? Finally!

Morning Musume - Wakuteka Take a chance

All opinions are my own. I don't expect you to share my opinions not should you expect me to share your's. If there's anything you strongly disagree with here then, sure, feel free to say so, granted your willing to do so in a civilised manner. But, otherwise, no. Jussst no.

Wow, UFP, Reina's had enough of your bullshit, look. And, here, she thought Aibutt's departure would get her a constant centre position.

First thing's first, I'd like to make it clear that this is not a review of the PV but the single as a whole in which I will be looking at the A-Side and each B-Side individually. I will probably end up reviewing the PV, too, soon enough but that will be in an entirely different post than what you see here.

Wakuteka Take a chance

Of course, it would only be naturally to start off with the single's A-side. Now, I won't lie - I saw the dance practice and wasn't exactly wne over by the song to the extent that I turned it off after the first chorus and didn't listen to it again until the Temp PV came out. I didn't dislike it, I just wasn't bothered. I suppose...I couldn't be bothered listening to an LQ preview like that? But, when the Temp PV came out, I fell in love with the song. Suddenly, even though I never had any issues with it, I loved the direction in which Morning Musume were heading. It's a seriously catchy song in every respect. The tune, the beat, the lyrics. They all stick. It's one of my favourite Morning Musume A-sides (now, I say A-sides because there's a bunch of brilliant album tracks and B-Sides) in a while, actually...since Kimagure Princess, maybe? But, really, I love this. The effects used, though plentiful in their numbers which often doesn't work out (especially for H!P), actually sound really awesome. They fit the song so well and I don't actually think there are parts that would sound better if they just turned down the autotune a little. It's very techno and dance-esque, but it's also so very Morning Musume - if anyone claims that this song is ripping off K-Pop just because of techno aspect and the autotune effects then they need to shove their face in a blender or something. That's how quintessentially MoMusu-esque this song is. Also, the dance is brilliant. The only area in which this song is lacking is the line distribution, which is, as per usual, nothing brilliant. But, y'know, it's not just H!P - it's a basic fact of pop groups, isn't it?

Love Innovation

To tell true, this is the only track of the entire single I haven't listened to until all now, so this is a totally new thing to me right now. It's got a nice beat in the back which makes the song seem really easy to dance to. The melody is nice, too. I like how the vocal melody is quite soft and tame, while the back is a little more upbeat. It's very reminiscent of older Hello! Project songs, I feel - by this, I mean 2003-2006, by the way. It sounds like it could have been one of Berryz or C-ute's earlier B-Sides, so to speak. No complaints - I love the old Berryz tracks. I do really like how it's upbeat but it's not a hyper song, so to speak. It's really smooth and laid-back. This smoothness hasn't been present in H!P songs for some time now, I feel. It's a really cute song without being too in-your-face cute. Somehow, it also reminds me of the AKB48 song, 'Inseki no Kakuritsu'. Which is a good thing - I like that song (AKB's more obscure songs often appeal to me more than their singles)

The compostion of this design really leaves nothing to be desired and the two 10ki girls both look so awkward. Reina is beauts as always, though.

Futsuu no Shoujo A Tanaka Reina, Sato Masaki & Kudou Haruka

Out of the B-Sides, this one is definitely my favourite, hands-down. I'm a sucker for Latino-style J-Pop, by the well. The instruments also remind me of certain levels of Kingdom Hearts. This song also confirmed something big for me - I love Masaki. For ages, I really didn't like her, but she looked so sweet in the Wakutetka PV that I found it hard not to like her and, in this track, somehow I'm really drawn to her. However, I'm still drawn to her the least here. Honestly, though, listening to this, I realise that the two 10kis have such great potential. Daishi and Harunyan's voice aren't that strong, you see - don't get me wrong, I love them both, especially Harunyan (I love her voice, even if it isn't that strong, cause it's got a nice tone to it). But, first, Masaki's got some way to go before she's properly good, but she could easily be really awesome. And Kuduu? Well, she's almost there already. I love her voice and, at parts in this song, she does sound like a mini-Miki (not intended to sound like some weird butchering of 'mini-me'. I really love the tone of her voice. Though, it also makes me angry. Kuduu should get more lines, I'm not kidding. Unfortunately, though, she's not as popular as Masaki and Daishi and, so, isn't the 10ki who gets a push. Pfft. Though, she is getting pushed in other areas, I'm not ignoring that - I just wished her vocals were acknowledged a little more. And, on top of that, when Sakura joins, I demand that her and Kuduu get a duo. And, of course, Reina, my current MoMusu Oshi. Actually, I went off Reina for a little bit and I'm not sure why - nothing about her in One・Two・Three impressed me, particularly. I heard her solo song off the new album and it was kind of like...an epiphany? I realised Reina's voice had gotten really good lately but she's much more suited to ballads. She does ballads so well. So, in this...well, I love her voice here. This song is pretty much perfect for her voice. And, these three, they blend so well. I love this song. A lot.

This cover's quite cute, but the difference in energy between the hyperactive and almost-psychotic looking Daishi and the calm and demure Mizupon is a little odd. Oh well~ Still cute.

Daisuki 100man-ten Fukumura Mizuki & Ishida Ayumi

First off, this is a really cute song! But, not in an obvious, forced cutesy way, like Mizupon's last duo which was the source of some irritation for me. As such, I can't express how happy I am that Mizupon got a GOOD duo track, even if it was with the next person on my list of Least Favourite Singers in Current MoMusu (sorry, Sayu. And Daishi!)
That being said, this song really works for Daishi. I think she has some some potential. Or, at least, she would if it weren't for the fact that she sounds out-of-breath. I mean, who sounds out-of-breath in a Studio recording?
Mizupon, however, sounds perfect in this. Recently, I've been doubting the quality of her voice, probably because she does get stuck with the worst solos in the songs she does get them in. Mind, that's better than what most members get. In this song, her voice sounds really nice and clear. I love it. I'm definitely reminded of why I do love Mizupon.
On top of that, their voices blend really, really together. They have similar pitches and, I'd say tones, but Mizupon's soft while Daishi's a little rougher.
The song also reminds me of an older Berryz Koubou track, like, it has that feel to it. It possibly doesn't help that there's a certain part of the chorus that reminds me a lot of Fighting Pose wa Date Ja nai!. Though, I don't mind that multiple tracks on the single remind me of Berryz's older stuff - I really loved that style and now that Berryz have changed direction recently (or back in 2008 or something, whatever works for you), so it's nice to hear songs with this feeling to them again.

Oh, Riho, you don't look entirely there, do you? You're off somewhere else. I like how the ordering of the members creates a little Green-Not-Green-Not-Green pattern, but couldn't we have someone else in centre for once? But, the SayaSuzu handholding's adorbs

Shinen dake wa Tsuranu Kitouse! Michishige Sayumi, Ikuta Erina, Sayashi Riho, Suzuki Kanon & Iikubo Haruna

This is a really fun song to listen to, I have to say. It seems like it could be a single or something. I could see if having a really interesting video and dance. It's catchy and very upbeat. I totally have a thing for this genre of song, though, I think C-ute rock it best.
The odd thing, though, is that I have a habit of forgetting that Riho's in this song. No idea why, nothing against her. Also, I have an issue with Sayu's chosen pitch - she's singing in a higher pitch that normal and it doesn't fit the song. She has the ability to fit a song like this, just look at that Otomegumi song - Yuujou! Kokoro ni Busu ni Naranee. Sayu, there was a chance for me to appreciate your vocals and you wasted it! Wasted it!
And, unless my voice recognition skills have gone to shit, then, I must say...WHERE ARE ERIPON'S SOLO LINES? In the singles and full group songs, I mean. Cause she sounds awesome in this. Her voice is pretty.  She's actually quite good, or, well, listenable. She could be really awesome with time, though. She's better than Daishi and Masachi, anyway. Where's all the Eripon love? Thanks to this song, I must say that she's actually gone up in my expectations. Keeping in mind that, in this single's line-up, she's actually my 4th favourite, followed by Harunan at 5th - she has a weaker voice, but something just draws me to her voice. Zukki also sounded positively adorable in this, I have to say. I wanna squishy the Zukki~

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Overall, I think this is one of MoMusu's best full singles in a while. There are more B-Sides than normal, as was the case with One・Two・Three, and I love all the song. Yes, I did like the songs on One・Two・Three, but I'm not sure they stuck with me in nearly the same way, though, Seishun Domannaka was super cute. On top of that, the line-ups are more interesting. The generation thing was a bit done-there, been-that, I feel. I like to see how the girls blend in different styles, with different member combinations. I really love this single and, with this, my faith in the new Morning Musume is fully restored. Actually, no, 'fully' is an exaggeration. The line distriubution still sucks balls, though, I'm aware that's just how groups work sometimes.

 

[REVIEW] Buono! - SHERBET (aka Guess Who Can't Think Up A Creative Title?!)

All views are my own; your views are your own, so on and so forth. Disagreeing with me is okay, as is stating so, but don’t be an arse about.

Out of the two covers, this is definitely my favourite. It's so cute and fun and fits the title so well!

1.   FEVER

The mini-album kicks off with a song which is very typical of Buono!, in that it has the upbeat rock sound in the back with a very idol-song like melody. The idol feeling is especially strong in parts of this song, though. But, so is the rock. It all balances out in the end, it seems, so you don’t get overwhelmed by either of the two aspects. I really like the melody and beat of this song. It’s catchy and…well, how do I say it? It has an almost hopeful feeling? Like, you know how anime openings have those kind of happy-go-lucky songs that are kind of pop-rocky? That’s exactly what this song’s like. In fact, it would work so well as an anime opening – which is probably why, to me, it seems so reminiscent of older Buono! Songs from back when they were not much more than a group formed to provide anime openings. I really like this song, though. It’s cutesy yet powerful at the same time and is the kind of song that just makes you feel happy inside. Like, for me, there are certain songs that make me feel all giggly and happy and stuff if I listen to them while walking on a sunny day, like when I leave school to get to the bus for example. It’s probably something that only applies to me and a few other people, but, this song seems like it would have this effect on me in that situation. I don’t know but I do love this song and I love typical Buono!

2.  GO!GO!Goda!

This song is really short, but it’s also cute and really fun to listen to. And, even though it’s cute, it still has quite a strong pop-rock backtrack. It’s another very Buono!-ish song. It reminds me of Café Buono! As far as style goes, only a little heavier. The melody of the first part of the chorus reminds me very much of Momo’s solo, Kia-Ora-Gracias-Arigato, from their last mini-album, though. It’s a fun song, though, it’s about bloody cheese! And the ‘GO!GO!Goda! Ganbare Goda!’ parts are really fun and catchy. They remind me of Momoiro Clover in a way, in the use of harmonisation and repetition of words, as well as the fact that they are being used as fun little openers and closers to the song. The main issue I have with this song would be the length. At only 1:53 minutes in length, it’s a pretty short song.

3.  Hatsukoi Cider (Album Version)

This version is a lot more Buono!-ish than the original, with the instruments being a lot more powerful. It’s a rockier version, basically. Even so, it works amazingly, to the extent that I can’t choose which version I prefer. I adore the original but this version has won me over as well. I love the styles of both versions, but, generally, I prefer the style of the album version. I guess Buono! are a source of J-Poppy nostalgia for me in many respects, so I’m immediately drawn to any song that features their basic style for which they are most well-known. I suppose, though, that the best part about this is that is different from the original but it still sounds good. I tend to be a little iffy about alternate versions sometimes, such as the album version of Yamashita Tomohisa’s ‘Hadakanbo’ – it’s jazz-style didn’t work for me at all and made an original strong and upbeat song feel far too calm and relaxed. The fact that this style fits the song just as well as the original makes me really happy, I mean.

Now, let's take a break halfway through for another picture! I love Airi's hair so much xD

4.  Mirai Drive

I think I loved this song from the moment I pressed play. I love this style a lot. I blame KAT-TUN’s albums and B-Sides, just saying. But, this is a really good song. It’s perfect for listening to in the middle of the night – which was when I first heard it, making that first listen all the more perfect. I love the melody and beat and mood and tone and…ah. I don’t think this song lets me down in anyway. The build-up from verse to chorus is done really nicely and the whole song just flows really well. What made this even better, though, was the chorus. It was all in falsetto! I love falsetto, especially when combined with this style of song. It works so well together and sounds so pretty. This song really shows off the girls’ voices. All three of them can sing so well, even if Berryz don’t give seem to be giving Momoko the chance to show it anymore. They have such gorgeous vocal tones, too and they can maintain that falsetto beautifully, especially Airi – her bridge line sounds amazing. On top of that, these three really do blend perfectly. This is definitely my favourite track of the album.

5. BELIEVE★★★

This song is good, don’t get me wrong; I do really like it, but it’s my least favourite off the album. Unlike in FEVER, where the idol and rock themes worked really well together, this song sounds like a bit of a mish-mash. The vocals seem very befitting of a song with an oldies feel, like 2^nd Gen Tanpopo songs or something. Especially the chorus – it just sounds like it should have lighter back track. If you just had the synthesiser and keyboard stuff, it’d work better. The only bits that fully blend are the build-ups to the chorus and Momoko’s bridge. The mix does sound interesting and it grows on you after a while, but, the first few times I heard this, I couldn’t help but think that something didn’t quite slot into place the way it should. It’s a song of acquired taste, I find. But I do like it. It just didn’t impress me as much as the rest of the album.

6. Natsu no Hoshizora

The title, meaning Summer’s Starlit Sky, sets the mood for the whole song right of the beat. It’s a sort of ballad-esque track, the kind of song that’d be good for helping you drift off, with a kind of twinkly feeling to it. If I had to compare it to any other Buono! song in terms of style, I’d have to go with Kimi ga Ireba. It has a similar tone. The vocals are so clear in the song and you can really how perfect the blending is. These three were meant to be a trio, they sound so good together. The chorus is really pretty and sung in a quite high tone. It’s a really sweet and relaxing song that you can sway to really well. The melody is really nice, too. I’m really glad they include a ballad on this mini-album cause these girls sound brilliant when they sing ballads in their own groups, never mind together.

7. NEVER GONNA STOP

This is the main track for this album, the one with the PV. When I first heard this song, it took me until to the 2^nd verse to actually start liking it as I thought that, with the reverb and multiple voice effects, it sounded kind of messy. By the 2^nd verse, I had entirely changed mind and realised that the song worked pretty well. I really just had to accustom to the effects, since they kind of quieten the vocals a little. I came to the conclusion that it was just that kind of song. It was meant to sound powerful and it got the feeling across. The chorus was probably what got me most. The verses are nice but they don’t really draw me in. The chorus, however, is seriously catchy. I swear I heard the song once and, I swear, I had the song stuck in my head all day after that. I actually adore the chorus, and the vocal effects actually work really well there. What I do love about the vocal effects, though, is the aged kind of sound they give the song. By aged, I mean to say, that it makes the song sound a few decades older than it really is. However, no thanks to occasions in the past, from before when I had my own MP3 Player (quite a few years ago), that had me sitting in the car on a Summer holiday while my parents decided to listen to the music they like when they were young, this effect makes me feel nostalgic and a little Summery (ignoring that Buono! are a pop-rock idol group and these bands were punk bands from the 70s and 80s, I was mainly referring to the reverb sound). It’s a really good promo track and sets a great feel for the rest of the mini-album, but also closes it really well, too.

And, here, I present to you, the other cover, just to finish things off!

In conclusion, as I’m sure you gathered, I really like this mini-album. It’s bloody obvious. But, really, the main reason for my loving it so much is that it was the best reminder anyone could have given me as to why Buono! are my favourite girl group (3^rd favourite group overall but that sounds less meaningful, y’know), as to why I used to love them so much before a certain two boybands (KAT-TUN & NEWS, if you didn’t know) came along and caught my attention – I still love Buono! as much as I ever did, and I totally understand why. In fact, I possibly love them more than I used to. I feel that they are one of the very best groups that H!P has ever seen and I really hope they stay active for a long time!



Wait, there's no scrumming in bowling! - Fumetsu no Scrum [PV REVIEW]

Fumetsu no Scrum

All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Basically, they don’t need to agree with your own. So, don’t start trying to get all batshitty at me if our views clash~

Okay, so I half-told myself that there was no way that my next review would be a PV review, because I’m not that good at PV reviews. Yet here I am, writing a review on…oh, right, a PV. Oh well, I’m never going to get better unless I make an attempt, right?

Of course, it would only be natural for my risky review to be of a KAT-TUN PV, right? So, I’ll be reviewing KAT-TUN’s new PV for their latest single, Fumetsu no Scrum.

I’ll say it straight out – this PV did not impress me as many other KAT-TUN PVs. Oh wow, I started out a KAT-TUN review with a negative comment. Well, it’s better to be honest than biased, I find. Anyway, my point is…it’s so simple. I am fully aware that other KAT-TUN videos are somewhat simple – ULTIMATE WHEELS only had two one-colour sets but, at least, it had that fancy camera and the light and shadow stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the PV, really. I do honestly like it and probably prefer it to a great many other PVs – you have to take into account I’m purely comparing it to other KAT-TUN PVs here.

The PV was definitely entertaining, though. I think it was probably a really good PV, it just didn’t put me in that weird state of ‘Oh my god wow oh my god this is so wow and so perfect oh god’ that the past few PVs have managed to do – the last PV that failed to manage that was probably Going! over 2 years ago. Aside from that, the concepts of the dance & close-up shots and the bowling scenes clashed a little. Thanks to the editing, they stilled worked well together and with the song, mind.

It's irrelevant, but I LOVE the outfits from this single's covers~

My main complaint about the bowling scenes was their outfits, to be perfectly honest. Okay, yes, they were wearing bowling clothes but gold sparkly looked a bit…naff, maybe? It’s not really of too much consequence, but, personally, the outfits didn’t sit well with me. It has to be taken into account, though, that I don’t like bowling outfits anyway, so that opinion can’t be helped. The bowling scenes were cute, though, definitely. The boys just looked so happy and like they were having fun, it was sweet. Especially their circle dance after Kame’s victory – I honestly love that bit. I love watching these guys interact and I suppose this PV gets lots of bonus points for being, like, the only video where that really happens (ignoring Kame and Maru’s conversation in the background of THE D-MOTION and similar cases, seeing as they weren’t even intentional). Sure, maybe I wasn’t overly impressed by the PV but, as I sit here reflecting over these scenes, I’m getting ready to have a giggly fit over how lovely it all is. But, I’m in public right now, so, that’s a bad idea e.e

Icky shirts but just look at Kame's attempts to sexy things up with those sunglasses

My favourite part of the video was possibly the dance shot – one reason for this is…their trousers. I want their trousers and they’ve now been added to my list of trousers I’ve seen male celebrities wear and would quite like for myself (along with the ones they wore in their ShoKura Premium LOCK ON performance and so many of the ones I’ve seen Yamapi wear). Honestly, I just love their outfits in those bits and that definitely more than makes up for my feelings toward their bowling outfits. Another reason as to why I love this part is the choreography which was written by Junno himself (if you didn’t know already). Sure, it’s not the best choreography ever but Junno did really well for his first attempt at group choreography. You have to understand that in my saying that it’s not the best ever means nothing more than it’s simply not among the best dances I’ve ever seen but KAT-TUN don’t normally have the most impressive dances anyway so it’s not exactly important – just to clear that up. But, what I think is important, at least for a song like this, is that this is definitely a fun and light-hearted dance that fits the group and their style (or styles, since none of them seem to want to dance the same way) extremely well. Maybe the dance would be even better if these derps could dance on time with each other =w= But, I love their lack of synchronisation, don’t worry.

Rub-a-dub-dub~   

The close-ups weren’t anything to be hugely amazed by, though, the big lights in the back were definitely cool. They added a really nice effect to the video. Though, there’s never much to comment on with the close-ups unless they actually stand out in some way since, past that, it’s all down to the members. I can say that they looked awesome against that backdrop, but I’d rather that, for now, I was reviewing the video and not gushing over the members *coughorkamecough*.

Could it be? A gorgeous turtle come to prove my point! /helooksawkward/

However, I’d like to gush a little now, is that okay? ;w;

I think they looked amazing in this video. I mean, as amazing as they could seeing as I don’t actually find all the members attractive. And you can’t judge cause I’ll just point out that it means that I just like them for their voices and personalities rather than just their faces =w=

I really liked Koki’s hair in the dance and close-ups, the way it was tied back. I believe that he should go back to the straight long hair. I just prefer it to the poodle perm, that’s all.

Kame was gorgeous in this PV. Like, no, especially in some points. I admit that I’m probably hugely biased towards this man, but I can’t help that he’s so stunningly beautiful, okay? =3= I really like his hair in this video, though. And that glare when Maru pats his back *.* Those eyes >< That man has such lovely eyes. And legs. I love the way he moves his legs and those trousers looked good on him, uhh. I’ll stop here out of here that I’m just going to get derailed and bore you. So, basically, to summarise this whole paragraph, I love Kame and am fascinated by his existence. There. Done.

Can you really blame me for my feelings? I refuse to be blamed!!

Now, I think it only makes sense to conclude with a quick review of the song itself, right? What’s the point in reviewing a video without appreciating the entire package?

My first comment would have to be that the actual style of the song differs somewhat from the typical ‘KAT-TUN Style’ that has been built up throughout the past six years or so – they’ve been around for 11, I know, but most of style was developed via singles. This difference in style doesn’t bother me – in fact, songs of this style appear quite frequently as B-Sides and album tracks. On top of that, I love when groups release things in different styles, as long as the songs retain their essence. This is something KAT-TUN are very good at – no matter what genre of song they tackle that same feeling is always there that makes them stand out. I also think that KAT-TUN’s ‘experimentalism’, if you can call it that, makes them original. Someone once told me that they were one of the most generic groups in J-Pop right now and I was immediately sure they hadn’t actually listened to the bloody group. I can’t actually think of another Japanese group that sound like KAT-TUN, even in JE. Okay, sure, maybe the odd song, but for the most part, they’re fairly unique-sounding. Obviously, they’re not perfectly original but on a small scale they can be referred to as such. Besides, this person was an AKB-stan – I like AKB48 and all but they’re hardly something original. The fact that most of the 48 groups, at first listen, sound just a little like carbon copies of each other kind of proves this.

I don’t actually know what this song is about, so I won’t comment on lyrics or meaning, but it has a very upbeat feeling to it. I imagine it’s a song with an uplifting or powerful message, granted they don’t pull a GACKT on me or something and stick me with a lovely, happy-sounding song with a dark and depressing message. 

Victory for KAT-TUN! 

That’s all for now~!

I’ll hopefully be writing a review on the PV for Koki’s solo, BLACK OR WHITE, which featured as a B-Side on the First Press edition of this same single, tomorrow!

Thanks for reading!

Top 5 People || Top 5 Songs

All opinions expressed here are my own. If you have a problem with that, then, shoo, I don't want you here! And if you have an issue with any obviously biased opinions then...what are you doing on a post that's just about loving things!

Also, please ignore the obvious crappiness of the banner. I'm a lazy git.

So, what is this post?

It's a Top 5 Ranking review, to put it simply.

I'll be looking at each of my Top 5 individual singers (so, no groups and whether or not they are in a group is irrelevant) and, then, out of all the solo songs they've produced, I will choose my favourite and write up a brief review on it.

The list of people who I will be looking at are (according to the banner from left to right);

GACKT, Kamenashi Kazuya, Yamashita Tomohisa, Takahashi Ai & Kim Hyun Joong

So, let's start, then~

I'll be dealing with this in reversed order of preference.

5. Kim Hyun Joong - Lucky Guy

This wasn't an easy one, to be perfectly honest! I was probably stuck between this, Please Be Nice To Me (from the SS501 Solo Collection) and Break Down (from the...uh...Break Down album, obviously). Eventually, I went with this one, just because of the pure love it got from me when it was released. I don't know if you know, remember or care, but I actually did a small review of this when it came out. It was actually my 2nd legitimate review on this blog ((the things before didn't count as reviews)). 

I do actually adore this song, though. It's extremely catchy and upbeat. I really like how it stands out from most male K-Pop artists' music in that it doesn't really have many electro elements to it. I admit I'm not good with genres at all, so I can't exactly place what it is, but, it's not electro whatever it is.

On top of having a catchy beat, the words are pretty catchy - the chorus has enough English and simple enough Korean even for people who can't remember Korean songs by the lyrics (I'm guilty of this, most of the time, though I can get this chorus - though, I have a habit of remembering the lyrics of the Japanese instead now -.-')

The song also has a really awesome dance routine. It's actually really fun to do, even if you're barely following it!! xD

Here's the PV for you to check out yourself (if you're interested, the song you can hear parts of at the start and end is Do You Like That?)

4. Takahashi Ai - Cosmos

This one was also quite hard because...for Ai, who had been a lead in Morning Musume for almost her entire Morning Musume career, she has a surprisingly small number of solos! It's worth noting that I'm trying to limit myself to CD-released solos, as, otherwise, I would have chosen her performance of Goto Maki's Sayonara "Tomodachi ni wa Naritakunai no" (which is the best thing I've ever seen her do, oh my god, it was perfect. It's such a beautiful and emotional performance). I was also discounting the Hello! Cover single - I don't think it would've made much difference, but her cover of Matsuura Aya's dearest. certainly had a chance.

So, in the end, out of the 4 songs I could choose from, this managed to stand out as a fairly obvious winner for me. This song, found on the Champloo 1~Happy Marriage Song Cover Shuu~, is a cover of Yamaguchi Momoe's 1977 hit. This makes me feel cultured, because now I know J-Pop songs from the '70s =w=

This song is a really beautiful ballad which, based on a translation, seems to be about a young woman, who is getting married, and has to leave her mum who is, evidently, alone. Ai sings the words with powerful emotion and her voice suits the song perfectly. I do believe that giving Ai this specific song is one of the best things UFA have done because the result sounds rather gorgeous. Actually, this sounds weird, but this song seems really befitting of a Summer's day with a slight breeze - I want to stand in the breeze while listening to this! Aren't songs that have this kind of effect on you the best~?

This song doesn't have a video, so I'll leave you with this. Quite embarrassingly, one of the first things that comes up on YouTube when you search for this is my dub of the song from a year ago -.-''

3. Yamashita Tomohisa - One in a million

I chose the blue cover cause I like his shirt best out of all the cover. That's the only reason.

God, that wasn't an easy choice. Seriously, I adore Yamapi's entire discography - okay, sure, there's the odd song I'm not crazy about, but, for the most part, I love it. So, there was a lot to choose from here, but, I managed to narrow it down to this track - One in a million. I mean, I could have shown off with my glorious knowledge of every solo track he has ever released on CD, but, nope, I'll go with a single. Because I'm not going to lie to look better or some sort of arsery like that.

Now, this song came out after I'd gotten over the whole 'Ew no autotune is dead rubbish and ruins everything for everyone why do you hate me?' thing, which, quite honestly didn't last long - I mean, GACKT taught me otherwise with GHOST and Koakuma Heaven over a year earlier. Actually, at this point, I could readily accept that, granted it was used correctly, autotune could actually sound really quite cool. One in a million is one such song where the autotune sounds pretty cool. It works.

This song is pretty dancey - very electric and extremely catchy. Of course, there's some dodgy English from Yamapi in parts (his English has improved so much recently, though!). I really love this song. I actually often find myself forgetting that this is one of my favourite Yamapi tracks until I listen to it - that's when I remember it's actually my favourite of them all. I don't know why I forget, though. You think that'd mean it's not my favourite, right? But, really, when I do listen to it, I enjoy it so much. Honestly, I think it's good that I forget, because I'm kind of worried that if I listen to it too much then I'll get sick of it. I probably wont, but safety precautions, you know? Maybe it's dumb, but I have these worries! =~=

On top of that, the PV is pretty cool. Or, maybe, I'm just a sucker for black&red colour schemes because, really, I am. Honestly, I'm extremely grateful that the school I go to's colour scheme is black&red, even if there are so many other things I really don't appreciate about it. But, even so, this colour scheme makes the PV look that much cooler. Plus, Pi rocks sunglasses like no other, I swear. He looks too cool like that. And that's all I say there, because I think it's getting to the point where it's stopped being a review and suddenly become an opportunity to gush over Yamapi.

Here's a live performance of the song because I can't find the PV on YouTube o~o

Also, as a bonus, here's an English version by some Austrian singer and it's not nearly as good.

Kamenashi Kazuya - 1582

Well, here's a nice contrast to the openings of the three previous reviews - this was not a hard choice at all. I swear, this was almost painfully easy. Like, I don't even know if I'll be able to write this properly without just gushing and spewing fangirl liquids - keeping in mind I mean tears and drool and things. Basically, this song is up there as one of my favourite songs of all time. I could listen to it so many times and still not get sick of it. It has such a brilliant blend of sensuality, elegance, pain, sadness, hope and...argh...the list goes on. 

The song has a distinctively Japanese feel to it, though it isn't obvious - that is to say, we don't hear flutes and Koto in the backtrack. In fact, the backtrack is pretty electric and really not very traditional. A lot of that mood is brought in by the lyrics; take for example the use of 'watakushi' over 'watashi' in the chorus parts - 'watakushi' is still used in Japan today, but is very formal and rarely used in casual situations. Of course, such formal speech patterns are normally associated with a more old-fashioned way of talking, right? Also, a lot of the Kanji used in the song are less modern, such as the more formal Kanji for 'hitomi' (eye) being used, when the phonetic version used is clearly 'me', a more modern term with the same meaning, as well as the Kanji for 'izuko', an outdated version of 'where', being used for 'doko'. 

I really like the lyrics in this song for that reason. I also like the meaning of them - the story they tell. It's all a bit confusing, really, but beautifully written nonetheless. The lyrics seem to tie themes of sex and death together - the sexual referencing in this song is far from sleazy, though and is a lot more based around lust and romance. The impression of pain and suffering in this song is pretty strong, too. Just the words and the imagery used is so poetic and powerful, I've always thought that.

Another thing that draws me to this song is the ambiguity of it all, the theories behind it. First off, the lyricist is 'n' - this had been a mystery for a while and all that was known about 'n' was that they had also done the lyrics for Kame's solos 'w/o notice??' and 'SWEET'. Maybe n was Kame's assigned lyricist? Even so, n managed to raise a decent amount of questions in the fanbase. Eventually, it was revealed that n was Kame, big surprise. Thing is, though, he had actually hidden this fact so that fans wouldn't over-analyse 1582's lyrics. Apparently, it didn't stop them. So, did he have something to hide? Or was he just bored of the Akame fans ruining everything?

But, that's just one thing. There's also the discussions about what the real story of this song is. The most popular theory is a pretty interesting one, I have to say. Here, we assume that the title of the song refers to the year - 1582 AD, which would support Kame's description of it being a song with a Japanese feel. Why? Because 1582 is the year of a rather significant event in Japanese history - the death of Oda Nobunaga at Honno Temple or, simply put, the Incident of Honnoji. Now, it's no secret that Oda is Kame's most admired historical figure - he's said it enough times. Also, the fact that Oda died by way of committing Seppuku when he was trapped in the burning Honno Temple would explain the burning sounds at the beginning of the track. But, taking that into account, with these lyrics, from's who point of view was the song written? It is believed that Kame wrote the song through the eyes of Mori Ranmaru - the ever-loyal vassal of Oda. It's a bit too much to go into detail about in this review, so, maybe I'll write up another post on it one day, but, for now, I'll just say that whole theory made this song more interesting for me. But, don't get me wrong, regardless of that, this would still have been my #1 Kame song.

If all that wasn't really enough, the song also has one of the best live performances I've ever seen. No. Really. No biased involved, trust me. It's just so beautifully...well, over-the-top. The extravagance of it all is simply stunning - the stage production is mind-blowing. Okay, maybe I'm getting a bit too excited now, but, really, it helps that Kame is an amazing performer. He has such stage presence and he really makes this performance special. The live version of the song also had different lyrics, which add an extra level of depth to the song's meaning!

Here's the album version of the song;

And here's the glorious live performance;

The difference in lyrics is the only real reason I provided two videos.

1. GACKT - Mind Forest

Hardly the most flattering picture of GACKT, I admit, but I don't care

Oh, god' sake. If I said the ones before were hard to choose then I was wrong. This was the hardest. I was really drawn between this, FLOWER, In Flames and Rain. But, I think I'll let Mind Forest win due to the fact that, out of all of those songs, this one was the first I ever owned on CD. It was on the first GACKT CD I ever owned, actually, so it probably has the most meaning to me. Basically, I love all four songs equally, but I'm only allowed to review one, so, for discussion's sake, I had to choose one of them.

First off, I adore the use of traditional Japanese instruments in the backtrack of this one - the way they're blended with a much heavier and more modern selection of guitars and drums and stuff (I'm so smart-sounding when it comes to musical terms). The constant switching between soft and heavy is very effective, too. It adds to the mood of the song beautifully. Also, the flute (or whatever it is) is a brilliant instrumental - it sounds so sad and lamenting. It adds a really tragic feeling to the song, while that fluctuation of strength and tone adds a sense of emotional instability. It's brilliantly done. Also, did you know that GACKT songs are some of the only songs where I find myself going 'Oh, the instruments sound amazing, I mean, listen to those drums'? I guess I appreciate the whole package more often with his songs, somehow.

The backtrack builds emotion all on its own, of course, but GACKT's voice itself is packed with so much power and emotion. Listening to his songs, I always just find myself caught up in how beautiful his voice is. His voice is amazing and he does have a fantastic vocal range, but the emotion he can transmit in his single is just overwhelming sometimes. Especially pain - he conveys pain and sadness so well, I've found my eyes just watering at the sound of his voice often enough. I also forget how amazing I think his voice is and end up getting really caught off-guard by it. Ah, damn, that's stupid of me.

Of course, as is the way of many GACKT songs, the song appears to have a tragic tale behind it. Due to the fact I can't understand Japanese, just reading the translated lyrics doesn't allow me to understand the full story (maybe if the lyrics had some kind of footnotey guide or if they were on a subbed vid it would help. I can't be bothered looking, though). The real issue is that most GACKT songs are very poetic, so plain translated lyrics alone don't sum up anything about the song's true meaning. He has a tendency to use words with double meanings, or that, with a change of Kanji (but same phonetics) the line has a whole new meaning, that still relates to the song's story as a whole, but also adds extra insight. I've always been fascinated by his clever application and manipulation of the Japanese language in his lyrics, so, as I said, until I know the full details of this song, there isn't much I can really say about the lyrics as I will surely be missing something.

Here's the song;

There's also an English version of the song by GACKT's now-defunct band, YELLOW FRIED CHICKENz;

Personally, I prefer the Japanese version, but that's just me.

All right, that's all of the songs - sorry for going overboard with the Kame song. I think, out of all the songs I chose, it was definitely the easiest to right about. I apologise if it bored you, though! xD

I think my next post will be something other than song reviews, considering I'm being constantly reminded about how little I actually understand music. I'll go for another opinion rant or drama review or something. Or that 1582 summary I mentioned earlier.

Well, anyway, thanks for reading~! I'm going try and up the activity levels from here on out.

A Potentially Unpopular Opinion!! - So, I hear YELLOW FRIED CHICKENz are breaking up?

All opinions expressed here are my own. I'd prefer if you didn't go and judge how good a fan I was based on this, because, really, screw off, I don't have to love everything the man does to be his fan.

Thank you~

YELLOW FRIED CHICKENz, the band formed by GACKT -y'know, the amazing-looking one in the front

So, it seems that YELLOW FRIED CHICKENz will be splitting up come the 4th July - which is also the 39th birthday of the man responsible for it all.

And, as cruel as it sounds, I almost sort of...rejoiced upon hearing that news.

Oh, that's right -  I was openly happy that the project my favourite artist had been working on for so long was coming to an end.

I invite you to work out why this may be - is it because I can't handle that isn't all about GACKT all the time; I can't accept that there's some white dude stealing the spotlight; I can't put up with all that English in some songs (god forbid!); is it because I'm not a true GACKT fan?

And, I can easily tell you, it's nothing like that at all.

In fact, I have nothing against Jon at all.

Jon Underdown - in case you couldn't work that one out on your own

Well, it's worth pointing out that I don't active love the guy, but he seems perfectly nice and I do like his voice. Besides, it blends a treat with GACKT's, so, I can't really complain. I mean, he talks like he's still stuck in the 90s ('Hey G, I'm stoked for the show tonight!' would be a typical Tweet from this guy), but that's no reason to dislike someone, now, is it? And, he seems totally enthusiastic about everything, too. So, all in all, I honestly do like Jon - even if my Mum disapproves of the fact that 'he isn't as beautiful as GACKT' (Oh Mum, it's cruel, but I agree). Jon is not the reason I feel a little relieved about the split-up - I'm not some weaboo who doesn't want boring old whites like me mingling with those perfect Japanese adonises (please, sense the sarcastic tone here). I'm not that kind of fan. 

And I refuse to hold it against GACKT that he did something different for once. I can accept that if I don't love it, no-one's forcing me to. I'm aware of how elitist some members of the GACKT fandom are, that there's this sense of having to belong in the fandom, having to be worthy of the fandom - honestly, all that puts me off sometimes. And, to be fair, I've never actually managed to fit into the fandom, somehow. I probably haven't tried hard enough, but I just don't think I can handle so much fandom drama. I don't mind drama, but in the GACKT fandom, it's a huge problem. There seems to be a bunch of fandom splits, after all. And, this sounds harsh, I know, but, those fans who go around acting like they own GACKT, like he's their man or even being slightly over-protective of him? Never liked 'em. Not even for a moment. There's a large fraction of the fanom that are like that, though, so, yay. Lucky me.

Image (c) j-music-confessions.tumblr.com - I didn't submit this, but it seemed pretty apt, right? Sort of summed up my feelings?

Fandom Civil Wars aside, the reason why I'm not so overly-enthusiastic about YFC?

It's pretty simple, really.

They're just not my thing.

Okay, I admit, I do like them, but, thing is, they're a tad on the generic side for me.

No, seriously, their songs are just like watered-down GACKT songs. It's like GACKT, with an extra voice but without that extra...extra...oomph that GACKT's solo stuff has. GACKT's solo stuff is special, it's original, it's like nothing else I've heard. Whereas YFC...sound like a band. Just a band. A band that has the honour of the powerful vocals of GACKT at their disposal, yes, but whatever. If I gave them a proper listen, I'd probably love all of their song, but they still wouldn't hit me in the same way as GACKT's solo stuff.

GACKT's solo stuff always had a stronger impression on me, even if it did sometimes involve him getting up on stage and belting out those tunes whilst being dressed as a Nazi commandant. Well, I'll give him that he wasn't promoting Naziism in anyway - rather, he was condoning war as a whole.

Another point is that YELLOW FRIED CHICKENz are too overly-erotic.

And, before you all start judging me and getting all like 'You idiot! GACKT's been erotic for years! And you call yourself a fan!' - I know that. I'm not stupid.

But, my issue with YFC is that it's too in your face erotic. Mind, the fact that Yamapi has an album coming out called 'Ero' doesn't bother me in the slightest.

I don't mind erotic stuff, though. If it really bothered me, I would have probably gone off GACKT the moment I saw anything from the D.R.U.G Party con, as opposed to ending up more drawn to him (I'm sorry, he was particularly gorgeous in that con). Or the famed live version of Vanilla, for that matter (or even upon reading the lyrics for that same song). Hell, I would have ditched KAT-TUN by now, and Kame would not be my favourite, if anyone!

Go, GACKT, go! HUMP THAT GACKTJOB MEMBER! - A screenshot from the live perf of Vanilla, well-known for its huge helpings of BoyxBoy Sexytime

A typical KoKame moment - Here's Koki (who's resposible for a collection of tracks loosely known as the MAKE U WET Trilogy, may I add) midway to shoving his face in Kame's crotch, just to further my point.

So, I have no problem with eroticism or suggestive songs or performances, especially if there's no misogyny involved whatsoever. This is a mould most of GACKT's more sexual solo songs manage to fit with great ease, but, as to YFC's stuff? I'm not so sure, due to the fact that I've heard of arguments within the fandom about GACKT being sexist. Obviously, I haven't looked into it in much detail due to lack of interest in the meanings behind YFC's music, but I'll just leave it as it is - whatever it's like, it probably doesn't rival that pile of shit Jin Akanishi came out with earlier in the year.

Despite him once being a favoured artist of mine, the moment I heard that disgusting excuse for a song, 'That's What She Said', I was well and truly put off, but that's another story for another time.

My point is that all is forced eroticism on YFC's parts make the more sexual songs seem pulpy. At least GACKT's solo stuff with suggestive lyrics had a general sensual feel to them. Like...they were unf as a song, for want of better terminology. Whereas YFC's don't have that same feel. I also adore the experimental nature of GACKT's solo work - YFC seems to be a bit safer where genres are involved. That's arlight, seeing as it's just a side-project and all. I mean, doesn't that just make them another product of GACKT's experimenting?

It's funny, though, considering that YFC started off as nothing more than a tour name, really. I missed both the YFC gigs in London due to being abroad on holiday, but, given the choice, I would choose the '10 gig over the '11 one anyday. After all, it was the '10 gig that was essentially just a GACKT gig in London, no offense to YFC. I think, really, part of the reason I'm glad that this is happening is because YFC meant less Solo GACKT. It wasn't that I wanted to see more of GACKT in the splotlight, it was just that I prefer his music by a long shot. YFC splitting-up basically means that GACKT may release more solo single or maybe even an album! His last solo album was released in 2009, after all - I'd say us Dears are due a new album. I'm not interested in any of this YELLOW FRIED CHICKLETz nonsense, I'm already a dedicated Hyphen on the side of being a Dear, what more do you people want from me?!

I preferred it when Yellow Fried Chickenz was just another one of GACKT's weird tour concepts, this time having been inspired by his grandad who, apparently, looks like Colonel Sanders