Thursday 20 August 2015

It's Time for a Change! Houkago Princess LOVE 3.0 is Here!

I'm back with another update (okay, that makes this my third update-related post in a row! I include Michishige Saho's Coronation announcement as an update as well, albeit an Idol-related one) and I do admit, the next post I plan to do may also be announcement related as opposed to a Review of some kind. That said, things have happened that I find exciting and update-worthy, so there we go.

I'll try and get a Review out at some point, but I've recently hit a bout of depression (what I would call a 'slump') and have not wanted to write at all, do any videos, go out, get out of bed... things like that. The only piece of solace I have had during this period of nothingness is, in fact, Houkago Princess, and interestingly enough, I've been rather active in my HouPri Love adventures, it seems, hence this post.

So, without further ado, I want to introduce to you all Houkago Princess LOVE 3.0!!!

For those who can recall, I have an English, unofficial fansite for Houkago Princess that I try my best to update on a regular basis. Early on this year however, I ran into some issues with the website provider that I was using, IM Creator, and its formatting. The website is easy to use and was great for whatever I needed, however after some time it just started to mess up the format of the pictures and text and place them one over the other, no matter how much I tried right what had been done wrong. So, after becoming annoyed one too many times with the site, I decided that it was time to move on and find another website to host Houkago Princess LOVE.

And now, I have turned to Wix, and so far it's doing just what I want it to! Hoorah!!!


I've really enjoyed creating the layout for the 3rd version of this website actually, however I know that if I want to add more features in the future (my plan is to eventually start a Houkago Princess LOVE forum, attached to the site, and to add a blog for translations... I'd need a translator for that, however) I may have to move somewhere else, or eventually try something completely different. I have an idea for what I want, but right now, wix is a great site for the design and style I have wanted.

And, if I do say so myself, I think that right now the website looks rather splendid!

I've still got some things to do, such as adding the former members' profiles to the website as well as adding Discography information and a Lyrics archive, however right now the site has the bare bones information that, in my opinion, is the most important aspect of it.

For anyone who dares to take a look at it, I would like to ask you of this: If you see anything wrong, or if you think that I could add something to it you might find important, please, let me know. I want to improve on this site and build on it to become far more suitable for the Western fan community. This is something that I truly want to share with many others, and I want to make it as accessible as I can for the Houkago Princess fans. I may not be the best website creator, but I do want to create something that others can look at and enjoy, and hopefully, share.

That is all for now. Please, do take a look at the fansite and see what I can do to better it, and of course, feel free to comment or not!


Until next time, everyone! Take care, and love your Idols to the fullest!

Much Love,
Chiima~

P.S. I'm thinking of opening a Houkago Princess LOVE twitter account. I dunno, maybe! Who knows? XD

Tuesday 18 August 2015

The Princess Will Have Her Coronation! Michishige Saho to Become A Regular Member of HouPri!

... This is a lot later than it should be!


On the 9th of August during the Houkago Princess 4th Anniversary Live and their Major Debut Commemorative performance, it was announced that Michishige Saho of the Cadets would finally be awarded her desired promotion to that of a Regular member!

Congratulations, Sahochi!


The announcement had been made during the groups encore, which had been going normally until suddenly, The Imperial March (the theme song for Darth Vadar) began playing, only to send the members of HouPri into a panic at the sound of the unexpected tune. An envelope was then passed to Student Council President, Odagiri Nana, who made the surprising announcement and happy news that the Japanese History Chairman, Michishige Saho, would finally become a Regular member after almost two years since she had joined!

Upon hearing the announcement all of the members rushed towards Sahochi and congratulated the tearful member. Through these tears, Saho thanked the members and fans:

"It is a blessing from both the members and the fans. I had many things that I could not reach, things that meant I could not be promoted to the Regular lineup so easily. But today, it will be nice to come to a new start. Though I am still learning, I will now move forward as you look over me, and work even harder. Thank you." - Michishige Saho, August 9th 2015 (rough translation, original article here)

It was also announced that Saho will hold her Coronation on August 20th, making her promotion official and crowning her as a Princess withing Houkago Princess and leaving her days as a Cadet behind.


Okay, firstly, I am so freakin' HAPPY that Sahochi is finally getting her chance to become a Regular member of the HouPri lineup. Ever since she joined, I have waited for this day. Ever since both Maika and Himari joined, and even after both of them were promoted at a quicker rate than Sahochi, I have hoped and prayed for the day that Sahochi would become a full member of the group, that she would be able to dance in the front with everyone and be given duet lines or more. As nearly two years have passed since Sahochi joined HouPri, I wished for her to become a Regular member, only to find out she was still a Cadet whenever it seemed like it would be announced that she could be promoted.
 For a long time, I've felt disappointed that Sahochi was never given this chance, and even now after it's announced, I feel like this could have been done so much sooner, because she has always been a wonderful, dedicated member.

Hearing this news made me cry - as any happy news with HouPri does, really - and I was overwhelmed and thankful, because this is what many fans have been waiting for. It bothered me a lot, knowing that Sahochi was the first of the 6th generation to be added, and the last of them to actually get promoted, especially when Maika was promoted a lot more quickly than the average Cadet or Apprentice. I know, Maika deserves it, cause Maika is fantastic, but on so many occasions Sahochi showed her dedication to HouPri... I mean, the one big break she took was to finish her University exams, and that was the only time I can recall. Other members had breaks to just focus on school, but Sahochi? She studied, and went to performances. She worked hard, so for me, I feel that she does indeed deserve the Regular member title; she just deserved it way earlier than this.

Huh, you know? Now I get why fans of the H!P Kneshuusei get pissed off with some girls waiting to debut for so long. I really get it!

Okay, so I'm whinging a bit. I'll quiet that down... for now.


Sahochi is wonderful, and she has truly grown since joining Houkago Princess back in 2013, and I am glad that she's stuck around this long and finally become the Regular member she so desired to be. Even though she watched her fellow 6th generation members get promoted before her, even though she feels like she had many things she could not reach, I still think she is one of the greatest members of Houkago Princess. Now, I hope to see her blossom as a performer.

I am happy for Sahochi, and she deserves to shine after so long! On her Coronation day, I hope that she gets her chance to show everyone what she is truly made of as a Regular member!

Michishige Saho of Houkago Princess, congratulations on your promotion and up-coming Coronation! May you steal the hearts of the fans, and show everyone just how great you are!



Seifuku Cinderella, Houkago Princesses Major Debut mini-album, will be released this August 19th! Be sure to check out the MV, and potentially buy it, too!

Much Love,
Chiima~

Seifuku Cinderella / Hokago Princess Seifuku Cinderella / Hokago Princess Seifuku Cinderella / Hokago Princess

Saturday 8 August 2015

Updates in Life: My Sister's Wedding!

As life is important too, and important things have happened in my life as of late, I like to sometimes take my time to write a post about what has been happening, any events that go and so on. Today, on August 8th 2015, an important event happened in my family:

My oldest sister married her fiancé, whom she has been with for 16 years.


This is the first wedding to happen within my immediate family, though we were never sure if it would happen at all! As I watched my sister with her new husband, it was weird to realise that, indeed, she was married now... it's been so long, and she's rather fickle sometimes that I thought it might not happen. In the end it did, and though we ran into a lot of problems, from DJ's cancelling without telling us, cars not working for the day or dresses breaking at the very last minute... the wedding went on, and now my sister has finally married the man she loves, and hopefully spends the rest of her days happy and content!

Honestly though, I never thought any of my siblings would marry... at least, not whilst I'm at this age!


I was a bridesmaid, by the way - as was my younger sister, my oldest niece (the bride's daughter), and my youngest niece, and also my brother-in-laws niece, too. It's weird, calling him my brother-in-law, also, I think I'm too old to be a bridesmaid! That said, despite how much of a pain in the neck this wedding was, from planning to getting ready, I am happy it happened. My sister got married and she's ecstatic to be a bride, and I am really happy that she is happy. In life, we have lots of ups and downs, my sister included, and she does deserve happiness to the fullest, and on this day, though she was stressed and worried and panicking, as you do on the day of your wedding, she came out of it smiling and laughing and almost crying from joy. It was wonderful to see her so cheerful, and yeah, she deserved every ounce of a wonderful day.
 Not all of it went according to plan, things went wrong a lot, but it was all worth it, every effort made and every thing that turned sour all helped towards this: Her lovely wedding day, her happiness. So, even if a wedding doesn't exactly go to plan, even the smallest mistakes can still lead you to smiling brightly when you marry the one you love and adore

Want cake?
Aside from my sisters wedding (and the stress of it all, xD), my brother and his girlfriend are now engaged! Their engagement happened a few days before my oldest sisters wedding, but yes, now I have a newly engaged sibling, though I don't think they'll marry too quickly. It's nice to see this brother of mine settling down though, because I doubted it would happen... Me and my doubts, aye? I have many of them! Seriously though, I'm glad to see my brother engaged. His fiancée is lovely, plus her parents own a sweet shop here, so... bonus!!!

Also, next month I will be returning to University, though I'll be moving in earlier than the date I start my course again as I will be looking for a job there. It will honestly be nice to live somewhere where I have some form of peace, but also, it'll be nice to get back to my education! I can't wait honestly, because no matter how stressful or annoying University can be, I know I'll have fun! Plus, I get to see my friends again, and this year in Film, I get to study the business side of Disney!!! Sounds awesome, right? No, Chiima, no it does not!

Well, to me it sounds fun!

Anywhoo, those are the updates I have for you all right now! I apologise for not updating more frequently with reviews or anything like that, but I have recently been reading a lot, and fretting for this wedding that has just passed! Now though, I hope to relax a little, and maybe get some posts done?

Well, we can wish for that, at least!

I hope life is going well for everyone, but until next time I shall say Ja ne, Ta ta and Bye bye! I love you all and hope that you are having a fulfilling and enjoyable week!

<3

Much Love,
Chiima~

Saturday 1 August 2015

A Chilly Tune to Conquer the Summer Heat - Trident's 'Blue Snow' Mini-Album Review

All thoughts and opinions typed within these blogging walls are my own. I don't expect others to follow or like what I say, and I would hope someone would not find offense in my words. I try not to hate, I simply try to critique to the best of my abilities. Yet, if you dislike what is said, you know... you don't have to read it, right? That is all, for now...

Whilst rummaging through music files to look at what songs have come out this year for a list I am compiling, I happened to stumble across a mini-album that I had, admittedly, listened to once or twice, only to forget about it thereafter. 

And now that I have listened to it once again again, I think that it's time for a little review, don't you?


Trident is a group that I am rather unfamiliar with, one that I found simply by stumbling across a music video of theirs for this very mini-album that they released back in January of this year. I remember enjoying it and wanting to hear the rest of the songs that were included, and I eventually did come across the mini-album itself, but after those few listens... well, I obviously ceased listening to them and forgot that this release even existed.
 By chance, I just so happened to find it again and thought to listen to it, wondering what it sounded like.

My immediate thought after listening to the first three songs; why, and how, did I ever forget you?