Me, My Blog & Idols Q&A (Vol. 3)

A/N: Hi, everyone. I've returned again... kinda. I seem to be a ghost right now, with the amount I don't write. Whoops! Well, until I get distracted by life again, I'm here! Ghost Chiima, to the Blog!

 I apologise for my absence, and my sillyness, and I need to write a more detailed account of why I'm not really here much, but for now this summary will have to do. Until then (if it ever happens) let's just go forth, onto the post! Have at thee, arrr!

The Bitch is back~ MWAHAHAHA! Grab your torch and pitchforks!

Oh, I bet y'all forgot this even existed... that, or you may have thought to yourself 'Once again, Chiima has conveniently forgotten to do something'. Either one works, but for once, no, I did not forget this little Q&A started, nor did I decide to simply drop it - I just got a bit too ahead of myself (like always) and decided to put this on the back burner for some time. Okay, maybe a long time, but I did think about it! I've just not found the right time to do it, until now! So, without further ado, it's QUESTION AND ANSWER TIME!!!

As per, I once again thank you all for the Questions you sent in! For now these will the last set of Questions I will be answering as no others have been entered (I would like more, though~ I am a big fan of Q&A's so send in whatever you want!) so, it's sad, but until I gather more Questions (I will poke you for them!) I won't return to this little series here, however fun it may be! Once again, like Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, I will answer Three sets of questions that have been given! To the Questioners who have interrogated me today, thank you for sending in what you wish to know~ I hope I deliver unto you a few satisfying answers ;)

Blathering sorted and written, let's get into Vol. 3 of this Q&A! Today's set of Questions have been asked by Airi Matsui, aichan and Nia! Thank you for allowing me to answer these for you, and also, enjoy! Well, as much as one can enjoy a dull Q&A by a rather weird person, that is...

ONTO THE Q&A!!!

The following Questions have been submitted by Airi Matsui:

Q: What are your favourite anime(s) and/or mangas?

A: I'm quite happy that this answer didn't take me too long to figure out, because I'm very set on what I do and don't like when it comes to my hobbies (as well know xD) and whilst I'm not exactly into Anaime and Manga as much as I used to be, I still know what I love and what manga series have become classics for me. When it comes to Manga and what I consider my favourite(s), it has to be Ayashi no Ceres, Fushigi Yugi ~The Mysterious Play~ and The Gentleman's Alliance Cross!

I am not obsessed with Yuu Watase, I swear >o> She just so happens to be a fantastic being who captures mythology really well in a Shoujo Manga setting, and also creates wonderful characters... yeah, not obsessed, promise... ¬.¬

Oh yeah, and Arina Tanemura's sole non-magical Manga series is in there, too! Ooooh!

Okay, seriously though, I love these series! Fushigi Yugi was the first ever manga book series I actually finished collecting, so it has a place in my heart forevermore I believe, but it's also really good! Yes, it's a bit of a typical Shoujo manga with its character tropes and the whole setting, but the story is pretty solid I would say, and it's cute too! There's a lot going on, and a lot of History is obviously there because it's all about Chinese Gods and Priestesses and a different era to the one we are in now... so yeah, it's pretty interesting if you ask me!

 With Ceres, it's a little bit more opposite; there's a Thriller element there. The genre is Horror/Shoujo, but I say more Thriller, though blood is shed and there are really emotional deaths thrown in there too that just kill me every time I read the manga... and that's what it is, a thriller and an emotional roller coaster in a way. It's good, Ceres has a strong story line and also implements Japanese Mythology in there and a bit of History as well, but not as much as Fushigi Yugi; either way, both are darned good, and the Anime series are pretty solid too, so I recommend both. In fact, I just recommend Yuu Watase, period. Seriously. Check her stuff out!

With Gentleman's Alliance Cross... well, I love it. I consider it my favourite series to ever come from Magic-Girl Genius Tanemura, well this and Kamekaze Kaito Jeanne... I digress though! Seriously, for a non-magi series, I think this is one of Tanemura's best works. The artwork, though familiar to everything she does, is gorgeous, the story is fun but emotional too, the characters are comedic when needed, the personality amazing, and the story line is wonderful. Yeah, it's another shoujo girl series, but one I do highly recommend as well. It's cute and fluffy, but it has it's much needed Drama.

 Also, hot Manga dudes. Need I say more? 

Moving swiftly onto the Anime side of the question, need I really say more? Seriously, Ouran High School Host Club, how can one not love it!? It's a perfect series, and I do wish they had created a second season (pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease!!!!!) and it is by far my favourite series ever created; in fact, it was one of the few series I watched about five times after finishing it! I love it that much! The characters are fun and creative, you get a wide range of Bishi's to choose from, and the heroine is rather different to the typical gluttonous airhead you usually get in shoujo anime's. If anything, this series is more of a satire, but I love it, I just love it! It's incredible, genius, a work of art! I always laugh at the series, and I always seem to quote it (my favourite quote being 'Commoner's Supermarket!') so yeah... it's a great series, one I (once again) highly recommend. It's really just a ball of laughs!

Q: If you could marry any Idol, who would it be?

A:

... Need I say more? xD

Q: Do you still like Pokémon? If so, who is your favourite Pokémon?

A: Amazingly enough, I do indeed still like Pokémon! Not as much as I used to, or would like to, but my love for it is still there. Sadly I can't play the games as much as I used to because I am poor and don't have a 3DS (sob sob!) so yeah... my gaming days are over for now! Anyway, I'm derailing from the question, what was it again? Favourite Pokémon? Well, let me think...

I find it weird how, for some reason, I have an affliction to sheep... maybe I'm destined to become a sheep herder, or to marry a Welsh man? Maybe I am a sheep? Whatever the answer, no matter what, I like sheep a lot or find myself strangely wanting to have sheep-themed things...

 Ironically enough, my older brother is really scared of sheep. Funny how things turn out, right? xD

Okay, originally I was going to say 'SNORLAX!!!!' as my destined to be loved Pokémon, but honestly, it's Mareep. I don't know why I like Mareep so much, I just do. I never cared much for Mareep in the beginning of my Poké-playing days, but when I actually started to think about how my teams worked, Mareep somehow creeped in there (it's a bloody good Pokémon in the newer generations, I've found. ELECTRIC FTW!!!) and this, crept into my cold, dark heart. Seriously though, how can something that's so darned cute (I never let it evolve, by the way. Nope!) be pretty good in battles? Like, whoa. Before Mareep, I never cared a lot for Electric type Pokémon, I was all about fire and psychic (by the way, Chandelure is a good Pokémon for Psychic/Fire me thinks) but Mareep, man...

This is a damn good Pokémon! Cute, but lethal. I want to have one in real life!

Q: How did you discover Houkago Princess? How did you first come to know them?

A: I'm loving this mixed-bag of Idol and more personal nerdy questions here, just so you know! Why didn't I answer them sooner? @.@ Stupid Chii! Er, ahem... back to the Question at hand...

I was browsing Tokyohive one time back in 2011, when the group was set to debut, and at the time it was freshly announced alongside the news that Fairies were an up and coming thing, too. Based on their descriptions, I just attached myself to HouPri and from there on, I just grew as a fan with them. I liked the idea behind them, the original idea that they were a dress up group (not any more in my opinion) and I wanted to see what this rag-tag bunch could do. I just liked them, they were underdogs and needed improvement, so I began to follow them avidly. For a long time, I was probably one of very few foreign fans to follow them! In fact even now, there are so few foreign fans, but they're coming up in popularity I think. They're getting noticed, at least~

And that, my dears, is the story of how I met HouPri~ Goodnight.

Q: What inspired you to start blogging?

A: Anger and hatred towards the PV for APPARE KAITEN ZUSHI, and even now I resent that music video! Seriously, I had set up everything in my mind for a good PV for that song, only to find out it was a cartoon-themed video that didn't really do much for me! I was annoyed, so I wrote out my frustration. That's pretty much it xD The emotion was strong, though I'd wanted to try writing a blog like this before that PV came out. It just so happened APPARE KAITEN ZUSHI was the catalyst in the creation of Okay! Musume Time. Inspiration, not so much, just blind hatred!

Q: What are your TOP TEN most played songs?

A: WAAAAAAH, way to throw a spanner in the works! I can barely remember what I ate, let alone which songs are on repeat almost 24/7! Well, I'll figure it out... Let's see...

In no particular order, we have:

- Koi ING (Morning Musume)

- Beauty and the Beast (Beauty and the Beast OST)

- I'm Not a Girl Not Yet A Woman (Britney Spears)

- Sleeping with the Light On (Busted)

- My Sweet Heart (Tokyo Mew Mew)

- Uchoten Love (S/mileage)

- Mizuiro Melody (Koharu Kusumi)

- Fighting☆Hero (Ono Erena)

- Mother Symphony (Mermaid Melody)

- Simple and Clean (Utada Hikaru)

Okay, I am literally spanning across my entire child, teenage and adulthood here with this random playlist! Honestly, there are the songs I think (some I know for sure, like the Britney Spears one and Koi ING) I have listened to more than I should on here, but yeah, this is the list; the Top 10 most played songs in Chiima's life! Some songs in there are really important (Koi ING and I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman actually) and some that I just frekain' adore to the point where I've played them to death. Yeah. I just love these songs.

Nice to see that most of them are Japanese xD

The following Questions have been submitted by aichan of Ai's Life as a Wota:

Q: What are your favourite Hello! Project songs?

A: Ah, this is pretty easy! YAY, EASY QUESTIONS!!! Let's have a looksy!

- Koi ING

- Uchoten LOVE

- Waracchaou yo BOYFRIEND

- Sakura Mankai

- My Days for You

Clearly, I have a thing for the titles with giant font xD But yeah, those are my favoured songs. I'm sorry for making C-ute and J=J feel left out here, but this is the truth and I speak it! MWAHA!

Q: What was the first Japanese artist that you ever listened to?

A: Amazingly enough, it was Morning Musume! I just never realised it!

When my sister introduced me to Anime/Manga way back when, you know, when Dinosaurs roamed and meteors showered, we watched a video to Sailor Moon that was an AMV, and the song was Say Yeah! ~Motto Miracle Night~. We didn't know who it was, we just liked the song. Yonks later, I find out that the group I really love now were the singers behind that song. Coincidence? Yep, but it's a good one~

Maybe this is why I love them today? I was conditioned via Sailor Moon!!! ARRRGH!!!

Q: If you could set up your own Idol agency, how would you produce them, treat them, train them and would you have any rules that they would have to follow?

A: This is such a tough question to answer! For a second there I think 'huh, these are easy~ YAY!' and then suddenly I'm thrown a curve ball! Boo! Well, to answer this, I want to just say I don't want to set up an Idol agency; it would flop, because I am terrible at things like that! Figuratively speaking though, I would want to treat any girls who came into the agency with the respect and love they deserve whilst also expecting to be treated as I treat them. So, say I yell, they can yell back because I've done it to them, but only if it's deserved - I want them to know we're on the same page, basically.

 Training wise, I think vocals would be the big thing for me, though I'd want their stamina in dancing up as well. I would want to give them equal training as well, because I know some Idols get better training treatment than the lesser members (Hi, MoMusu~) so I'd do what I could to let them all have equal training time, in dancing or singing. Basically, I want to be a fair manager xD

Production and rules wise, well, I would just want to be fair to them. I want to give them all chances, if I could, but I wouldn't be too lenient either - they need to be serious! I want girls who seriously love singing and dancing and bringing happiness to others, not girls who just think it's an easy job. They have to work hard! And finally, regarding the rules, I would probably do a love ban until they are about 17-18, but once they hit the age where they're old enough to decide whether or not to go to school, then to me they are old enough to pursue a relationship. I'd also have the rule to basically always come to events unless ill or something has happened to the point where you can't make it, and things like that... but regarding the love-ban rule, I'd basically retract it, but if they're too young and still in school, then it would be implemented simply because they're focusing on school and work already, so a relationship would be too much...

Actually, I might change the Love-Ban Law rule thing to 15, because 15 is an age where girls start to really focus on boys I guess (from my experience, at least XD).

Weird how I have implemented the Love-Ban Law in there, somehow o-O

Q: What do you think about Idol Love-Ban?

A: Okay, I don't like the Idol Love-Ban Law, if that's what your thinking xD BUT it is a complicated thing to follow as well, and whilst I say I disagree with it a lot, I do see why it's there; it's been there for years and once upon a time, it was in the British Music industry too, where members of boy or girl bands couldn't have a lover because it could jeopardise their big careers and thus their future. For Idols, it's a little more iffy, if you ask me because they expect more. I know it's to keep the pure image the girls have, to sell them to the public and to basically produce fantasies for the fans in a way, but it still seems weird to me because most of these girls are under the age of 18... so I don't like it for that reason, and also because it does take away the girls' freedom from dating.

Whilst members of Japanese boy groups, on the other hand, can freely date.

Yeah, that pisses me off a lot.

If they can date and not get kicked out of their groups for dating, or even get demoted if we're thinking along the lines of AKB, then why not the guys? That's pure sexism there to me, but I won't get into that because that's another debate for another day if I ever get to it. But yeah. It pisses me off that Love-Ban Law does not apply to the guys of Japanese pop music, just the girls.

Love-Ban is, in a way, needed, but it seems the law itself is cracking in the Idol world, which is a good thing. That said, it's stupid because it's totally one-sided and only affects the girls in J-pop. I do want it gone, but I know it is there to keep the desires of the fans and also to keep the girls a little more focused on their careers... not that the love-ban law always helps, that is.

TLDR; It's weird, but I see why it's there. Still, I find it stupid.

The following Questions have been submitted by Nia of Nia's Wonderland:

Q: Will you accept Perfume as your Lord and Saviour?

A: NEVER! YOU WILL NEVER CONVERT ME!!! I shall not conform!!!! Hiss hisss!!!!!

Okay, no, that's not my real question. But these are!

Always fun to have a bit of a silly question thrown in there once in a while ;D

ONTO THE SERIOUS ONES!!!

Q: Are there any blog posts you wish you could write again?

A: I want to say 'yes', but honestly? No, no I don't. Are there posts I cringe at? Yes. Are there posts I wish that I hadn't been ballsy enough to post? Indeed I do. Do I loathe some of my older posts? HELL YEAH! But honestly, I wouldn't change or re-write any of them because I simply don't believe in that. Those posts, however bad or biased they may be, are posts that allowed me to grow as a writer; they shaped how I am today. Okay, so sometimes I want to bang my head against the wall when I remember that post I did about Riho's fans once upon a time because Good Lord, I was a bitch still am! butI know that if I didn't do that post long ago, then I would have done something equally horrid, and I would probably still be a biased cow... now I'm a less biased cow, thanks to how my writing has helped me to grow.

Point; I wouldn't change any of it. It's helped me to become the Chiima I am today! Stupid, silly and a little less of a biased bitch.

Q: If you could join an idol group (a current one), which one would you pick?

A: Don't be surprised when I say who I pick, but honestly?

Yeah, don't be surrpised XD I usually make a point of saying I won't (figuratively) join a group I like because I don't want my fandom to affect what I do with the group, or work alongside who I love, that kinda stuff, but I would honestly audition for HouPri if I could; I think I'd love it there! I enjoy the songs and the energy they have, and the girls make me so happy! So yeah, HouPri, and if not them, then FUDANJUKU!!! Hello, cross-dressing!!!

Q: Finances and travel arrangements out of the equation, would you rather see a group's performance in Japan or have them come overseas?

A: Oh, the possibilities of financial issues and travel arrangements being out of the way! If only this could happen, but alas, t'was not meant to be! Ah!
 Okay, dramatics over and done with, I don't honestly know; if I wanted to be comfortable, I would pick them coming overseas to my country because it's simply easier access and, well... comfort zone. That said, if I wanted to feel the full power of a Japanese concert, I would happily go to Japan and basically place myself in the middle of the Wota and take on the true experience of a Japanese concert. I want both, to be honest, to go to Japan and to see the groups I love come over to my country, because both settings would be different I suspect. Maybe one day.

Maybe... One day... ; A;

AS FOR ONE DAY!!!

_____________________________________

Okay, so for Vol. 3, which has finally appeared, this about pulls everything together and wraps it all up in a nice bundle fo muddled answers from a very muddled blogger! I'm scared that so far, this is the longest of the Q&A's I've done, because I went a bit overboard on the answers I think! ARRRGH! Why do I do this to myself, to you guys? Because I am me, and I am Chiima. Chiima is a doofus, and she makes things a bit of a bore when she writes lengthy posts like this. Aye aye aye...

Why am I speaking in Third Person?

Anywhoo, those were the final set of Questions that I received long ago, finally answered! Hopefully what I have said is (somewhat) satisfactory, and I apologise for the wait! I didn't mean to just lose track of the Q&A, I seriously didn't, but life. Life got in the way, but hey! I've done it, and I'm happy I've written it out, so to those who read it, thank you~ I hope you enjoyed, and to everyone who has sent in Questions, I thank you once again. It was fun reading them and formulating my answers!

Well, that is all for now~ So, until the next time we meet, I shall bid you farewell!

Many Love and Hugs and all that sappy stuff, and take care! MWAH!

Chiima~

Becoming the Wota I am Today: A Response to Ray's Fandoms Preparing For Other Fandoms

I thought about posting this as a response to Ray's post on Idolminded as an Idol Thought for the day, and then decided that that might be a cheap shot (haha, no idea how) and decided to write it here instead, because hey, I can let loose... Not that I really can let loose too much on this sort of topic, because Ray himself explains it magnificently in his post and I'm basically retelling it, just with my own words and experiences.

But it's not just Ray's post that makes me want to write this; I've been thinking about it a lot lately, what makes me the Wota I am today, and after reading Ray's post about his own Fandoms preparing him for being a Wota shed a little more light on how I have also mentally prepared myself for being a Wota, or at least, how my childhood prepared me.

The start of my geekiness, or at least my inner nerd, was awakened through my siblings; my younger sister and I are the babies of the family, so when we were a lot younger we naturally followed our older siblings around and basically copied them, trying to be like them. One of the things that they did avidly was play video games, the four most prominent being Super Mario Bros, Tekken 3, Street Fighter II and Sonic the Hedgehog. Of course there were other games that my sister and I weren't allowed to play, one being Silent Hill, but the four games I have exampled were the ones that we played religiously as children and the ones that stick in my mind mostly whenever I think back to playing games as a child.

Of course there were other games, Final Fantasy VII being a prominent one that I clearly remember my older sister playing as me and my sister watched, but my sister and I really only played on the NES and original Playstation at that point, and games like FF were a bit too lengthy and heavy on the writing for us to really want to play it. Thinking about it now, I actually don't recall if any of my female friends really played these games when I was younger. Then again it was the 90's, and most of my friends liked Barbie and the Bubblegum Kids franchise, as did I, but I don't recall talking about console games or anything with my friends.

Another game that became a big part of my life, though a lot later, was Kingdom Hearts; when my sister and I had just moved we were heavily into that game to the point where we were both obsessed and enchanted by it. I remember playing that game nearly everyday, trying my hardest to beat the damn bosses. It was great obsessing over something and making friends through that game, and honestly, I really wish that I could just find a PS2 and start playing again because damn, KH2 is an amazing game.

Then there was Pokemon; currently this is still a large part of my life, though it wasn't always so prominent because I actually didn't start caring about it fully until I was a little older, however this was the 90's, and every kid either had a deck of Pokemon cards or a tamagotchi on them, and in my case, I had a deck of Pokemon cards. This further enhanced my nerd levels I think (more so later on in life) and also helped me to learn how to, in no better words than what I am about to use, collect them all and become completely obsessed with collecting things and basically showing off just how much Nerd I have for a certain thing.

Later on in life Pokemon of course became more prominent; I actually have more to do with Pokemon now than I did as a child. I have plushies, cards, marbles, magazines, a Pikachu mask, a game of Pokemon Yahtzee Jr and probably a lot more that I don't remember ever getting, and honestly that has increased my Nerd more than anything, and is one of the things that I think really helped me to prepare myself for being a Wota. Where childhood games with my siblings helped me to understand the joys of enjoying something so amazing, Pokemon pretty much allowed me to prepare myself for a future of people never understanding just why I was into this sort of stuff and also for being ridiculed because of it, something which I am more than accustomed to today, I guess.

And then there was Anime and Manga, the obsession before Idols; Anime and Manga came about in my early teen years, a time when I was actually obsessed with cartoons such as Xiaolin Showdown and Teen Titans already, but also a time where me and my sister were a little more distant with each other to the point where we didn't talk much. I was 13 at that point, and I wasn't playing games or into Pokemon; I was actually doing regular, girly stuff that normal teenagers did like throwing tantrums and oogle over boys or the boy band Busted. Of course it changed (not the tantrums) when my younger sister introduced me to Anime by asking me if I remembered childhood shows such as Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, Pokemon or Digimon. We then watched Fruits Basket, an Anime and Manga that her friends had introduced her to, and basically from there I became a major anime/manga fan.

My older sister actually helped my sister and I with our obsession early on into our fandom; she bought us our first manga books, one of which was Chobits, and basically aided us in our interests. Of course after that our love for Anime and Manga grew well into our teen years and allowed us to gain a good amount of friends with the same interests whilst also becoming our ultimate comfort during harder times, but it also allowed me and my younger sister to bond once again and become closer, something that I am extremely thankful for even till this day.

I can still remember pouring over my manga books religiously and avidly collecting series, with the first series that I ever completed being Fushigi Yuugi. It was wonderful reading each manga and taking in every detail, laughing or crying at whatever happened in the storyline and ultimately enjoying each experience with the more I read. I also had a fun little contest with my sister to see who could get the most manga, and during my time as a fan I won, however as my interest dwindled my sister has slowly caught up with me and now how more Manga books than I do, though I am still the reigning Queen in the fact that I have more completed series than she does.

Thinking of Anime and Manga is actually one of my fonder memories, and that's because of what it has ultimately lead me to. Can you guess what it is?

I was 16 when I first found out about Idols; it was the middle of 2009 and I had started a new Anime that included cute songs and a singing main character which ultimately served as a follow up to one of my favourite Anime's, Mermaid Melody. At that time I was heavily into anything cute that had songs in it that I could sing along to, and of course, being a fan of Kirarin Revolution ultimately lead me to PV's by the voice actress who also sung the same songs, Kusumi Koharu. Needless to say, I was enchanted, and did a bit of research on the girl where I also found out that she and Buono! were within a project together, because at the same time I was also an avid fan of Shugo Chara.

Of course my interest in Koharu grew (Buono, for me, was not a patch on Koharu and her cuteness) and I found out about Morning Musume through this research, though it should be noted that in 2007-8 a friend of mine showed me and my sister a clip of Morning Musume performing Go Girl ~Koi no Victory~ and we totally blew it off and had no interest, and gained a little bit of interest them... and I mean very little. At that time my sole interest was Koharu and no one else, so when I found out about her graduation I was obviously gutted. As I have said before in another blog post or two, I was ready to leave the fandom of Morning Musume, but I was pulled back and brought back into it pretty quickly after watching the Cinderella Musical and harnessing a massive girl crush on Niigaki Risa, and that pretty much brings me where I am today as a fan.

And you know what? I don't regret it, not one bit. Everything that I have been into has lead me to this point and made me the Wota that I am today; watching the Cinderella Musical introduced me to an amazing Idol group which I would have abandoned if I had not watched it for the sake of clinging to Koharu as much as I could, and becoming a fan over Pokemon, Anime and Manga and Kingdom Hearts allowed me to fully appreciate the nerdier things in life that people would have otherwise turned their noses at. I enjoyed being a fan of these things and knowing something that other people had no idea about, or learning new facts and information about something and telling other people with similar interests about it, and honestly, I still enjoy it; I may not be as knowledgeable in Anime, Manga or games like I used to be, but to know that I still harness that knowledge from my past makes me happy, and I am extremely thankful that I was able to experience these things at different points in my life, because it all allowed me to become the Wota that I am today.

And to finish this off, from Ray's own words;

"- something compelled us to seek out the different, and from there we’d see other different sparkly things to enchant us, and so on. So what story do you have to tell?"

Chiima~

PING!!! Idolminded Recommended Reading: February 24th, 2013

Okay! Musume Digest! #12

I nearly forgot to update this! My bad guys, so sorry!

Anyway, let's get into the post! It's DIGEST TIME!

The week has honestly been a bit of a hit and miss for me, with some days slower than others and some days which had news that I liked, but I didn't exactly think was exciting either. I was, however, surprised by the good amount of Takahashi Ai based news, because she's been reported to be in a few more stage plays, so that's cool!

Anyway, before I get into the news part of the post, let's look at the poll results for the question I set last week, asking Which Hello! Project Egg would you like to see make it into Morning Musume?

And who woulda funk it? Of course, it's Miyamato Karin! From the get go, I knew that she would win the poll because she's a popular choice for everyone. Fans have wanted her to join Morning Musume or S/mileage since 9th/10th gen auditions began, and it never happened, so of course, people are still wishing, hoping and waiting for it to happen! Anyway, out of the 39 votes given, Karin recieved 51% of all your votes! WOW!

So, what did the other girls get?

Tanabe Nanami 23%

Kosuga Fuyuka 15%

Takagi Sayuki 7%

Kaneko Rie 2%

So yeah... I'm honestly not surprised, but I will also say that she wouldn't be my vote either, because I feel like Karin, no matter how good she is, would be pushed to the back of the group like everyone else, because honestly, Morning Musume right now is the Riho show. and I wouldn't want Karin to be shunned away like the other girls have a little. She deserves to sing, she really does.

Anyway, now that the poll is done with, let's move onto the news!

There's a nice variety of news for this week, I think, so hopefully there will be something that will interest everyone, so let's get into the...

NEWS OF THE WEEK

This week's episode of Hello! Satoyama Life starts off with Yajima Maimi working alone with a farmer, helping to plant a tree (or plant). We also get to see Aika, Chinami, Maasa and a few Hello! Pro Kenshuusei  (Miyamato Karin, Kaneko Rie and Taguchi Natsumi) go to a Natsu Matsuri(?) together.

It's great that the Kenshuusei members were able to take part in this episode, because it means that the fan of Kenshuusei members will take more interest in the episode as well as the fact that the girls are being promoted too, because we learn more about the girls, and we get to see how the girls interact with their senpai's during the show.

I won't ruin the rest of the episode for you, but I do think that it's a really great episode, one of the best actually. It was entertaining to watch, and seeing the kenshuusei there was surprising and refreshing. I hope that the Kenshuusei will be used in future episodes too, because I think that the girls were a great addition to the episode.

Definitely give this episode a go guys :D

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Takashi Ai will be starring in a stage play called High School Uta Gekidan ☆ Otoko-gumi. She will be taking on the role of the lead male.

That... is some shitty photoshop. For realz, guiz.

Erm... that aside, it's nice to know that Ai-chan is continuing to find work in stage plays, movies and drama's. She has been very active lately, and as this will be her first role as a boy (I won't count Ribbon no Kishi, she was half and half) it will certainly be a new take for her, as she will need to learn a few new mannerisms as well as how to talk to a boy. The play (depsite the awkwardly photoshopped flyer) will certainly be interesting. Let's just hope their heads aren't that big or attached so awkwardly in real life...

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AKB48's youtube channel has released a Digest for their up-coming music video, Gingham Check, which was directed by Joseph Kahn. This video centers around Oshima Yuko, who won the senbatsu election this year.

So, Yuko dressed as Hard Gay, Diner Girl costumes, some... weird chicken scratching the floor dance moves, and movie scenes thrown in there? It's amazing how a video can make a lack-luster, generic song sound pretty darn good, isn't it?

The video looks great - I was surprised to see the movie references in there, but Kahn did say that he wanted to give the video a 'Japanese feel', and what better way than to use iconic movies that everyone knows about? I mean, Japan's movies are nearly always being adapted, so it was nice to see the use of those films in this video. Once again, another amazing music video from AKB will be anticipated. Too bad about the song, though.

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12 artists will provide theme songs for the upcoming live-action movie Kyo, Koi wo Hajimemasu. These artists include SCANDAL, Perfum, bomi, LGMonkees, Tamurapan, SEKAI NO OWARI, MAY'S, Sayonara Ponytail, back number, Nakashima Mika, Negoto and 7!!.

The news about the film adaptation of the manga was announced a while ago, and at that time, I was incredibly happy, because I absolutely loved Kyo, Koi wo Hajimemasu, but at one point there were no releases, so I kind of... stopped reading it, as nothing was updated. However, now that I know it's being adapted into a movie, I am extremely happy, because I really liked the manga itself and the storyline.

Regarding the artists, I am happy to see that artists I've never heard of or rarely pay attention to are on the list, because it will get their songs out there, and I don't really like hearing popular or over-used groups' songs in movies, as I like new things to listen to and new groups to gain an interest in. So, I hope everyone is looking forward to this movie, and I hope that someone's favourite group is in there, lending a song for the film!

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Takahashi Ai will be holding a fanclub tour in Shizuoka on October 13th and 14th.

Takahashi Ai is in a roll, people! With a new stage play coming out and a musical (as well as that drama she is in too), why not throw in an FC tour for all her fans? This will be a great opportunity to catch up with the actress and to spend some time with her, as well as probably hear her sing a few songs (Which will be good, because she's a great singer) and just have a nice time. Hopefully all fans will be able to attend the event, and oooh, pretty flyer!

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Station♪ have been featured on IDOL SUMMIT Vol. 5, singing their first two songs, Let's Go Tetsudo Idol and Susume.

Yes! My favourite Station Idols are back, and even though I have heard these two songs a few times already (they are always played at lives, then again... they don't have many songs) it is nice to see more performances from the girls, because it means more coverage.

I like this performance because, whilst the girls are singing to the backing track (with the vocals in it) you can actually hear the girls singing live too, so it's nice to hear that. The performance is really cute, and I love how the girls are really happy throughout the performance.

Hopefully everyone can take a look and see if they enjoy the performance ^^

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Station♪ will be releasing a new single on September 10th, titled LOVE Happy Station♪. This will be their 4th Indies single release, and will be available in 6 editions: One each for the members, and a regular 'station' edition.

A new single? Really? Oh, Station♪, I love you! Ah, so happy... xD

I feel like Station♪ are steaming ahead (pun intended) with their releases, because since they debuted, this group really haven't stopped, and they keep releasing new stuff for their fans. They recently brought out their first indies album, which must have been such a wonderful thing for the girls, and now they are recording a new song. This will also be the first single to feature Nene, as she only recently came into Station♪ as a candidate member.

I am looking forward to this release, and can't wait to hear the song itself!

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A trailer for Dragon Ball Z's 2013 film has been released. An official English and Japanese website has been created as well. The film will take place between the 517th and 518th instalments of the original manga. The film will open throughout Japan on March 30th, 2013.

Oh my god oh my god oh my GOD!!!

I grew up with Dragon Ball Z on the TV as a child (along with other anime which was popular in the 1990's and available on Cartoon Network) and even though I don't watch it now, I do still have that part of me which gets excited about anything to do with the anime itself, because it's nostalgic, and it is what I remember enjoying during my childhood, so when I saw this trailer up on Arama, I mentally screamed in my head and cried tears of happiness. My inner child has found happiness.

It's also wonderful to know that the story is not a spin off, either, like that American made movie that stole the name of this wonderful anime and manga. This itself is great news, as DBZ fans can rest assured that the movie will be a story stemming from the manga, and not some terrible plot made up for the sake of Hollywood... or something.

I'm looking forward to this. Heck, I will even go watch it if it ever gets dubbed and released in English cinema's... or on DVD. I dunno how the cinema's here work any more (seeing as Pokemon is never shown on the big screen these days)  but either way... I will watch this!

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Tsunku has released the track-list for Morning Musume's upcoming album, ⑬ Colorful Character, as well as a few comments on the songs.


1. One・Two・Three
2. What’s Up? Ai wa Dou na no yo~
3. Be Alive
4. Lalala no Bibibi (Michishige Sayumi)
5. Dokkaan Capriccio
6. The Matenrou Show
7. Zero Kara Hajimaru Seishun
8. Renai Hunter
9. Chikyuu ga Naiteiru
10. Namida Itteki (Tanaka Reina)
11. Waratte! YOU (9th & 10th gen)
12. Pyoco Pyoco Ultra

Tsunku commented on the album on his blog, stating that the theme of the album is 'The Earth's Yell' and that each song defines the different characters of Morning Musume, allowing them to unveil themselves with the different styles of songs that we will find in the album. He has also given soe comments regarding the songs (taken from Hello! SayuNii):

• Sayumi’s solo song is technopop and its lyrics are mostly about Sayu’s current condition within the group and in her personal life

• Dokkan Capriccio is rock song made for concerts

• Zero Kara Hajimaru Seishun is a thankful soft song

• Chikyuu ga Naiteru (The Earth Is Crying) is a Reina/Riho lead since the vocals needed are really hard for this “serious rock number”

• Reina’s solo is a song sung in minor, and even though its melody is simple, the song is quite hard, which allowed Tsunku to notice how much Reina has improved

• Waratte! YOU is a disco song

I would honestly say that I am not looking forward to Chikyuu ga Naiteru, because I don't think that Riho has a voice that will suit a rock number. In all honesty, louder, more mature voices are needed for a song like that... like Ayumi, Haruka and maybe even Zukki. A rock number is fine and dandy, but Riho... is not that great sometimes, in my opinion. But, she might surprise me. You never know.

Anyway, there is a great variety of songs here, and hopefully not all of the new songs are a Reina/Riho-festival, because I don't like Riho's voice, and whilst I like Reina's, it gets boring.

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The Hello! Project Kenshuusei will be holding fanclub events on September 20th and 21st.

For fans of the Hello! Project trainee's, we have good news, because the girls will be holding fanclub events! This means handshakes (I think), pictures, goods and songs and maybe even some talking and games, which is great for any group, whether they are trainee's or main Hello! Project group members. I'm glad that the girls are all getting great exposure, because sometimes trainee's can be left out of the mix, but with their own concertsn and FC tours, the girls are going to get recognised more and have a higher chance of debuting.

Hopefully all fans within the area will be able to attend, and see their favourite trainee!

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Fudanjuku will be releasing a new album, titled Otoko (the title is a pun: The kanji means drum sound, but is said as 'man'). There are three editions available to buy. The album will be released on the 29th of this month, and will include the winners song from the Lyrics Senbatsu.

Here is the track listing:

1. Kaze ikki
2. Love Spider
3. Noraneko Maria
4. Se~ no de don’t mind !
5. Kaze ni notte
6. Konsa du waniina
7. Tobitate ! Fūranger (Winning Lyrics Senbatsu. Winner: Momotaro)
8. Mugen no procyon
9. Tanada mai
10. my home town
11. Kanjite yuke
12. Ame tokidoki hare nochi niji

Each edition will come with a bonus, The regular edition contains bonus tracks:

13. Onaji jidai ni umareta wakamonotachi / from the Shibuya O-EAST live of the 30/06/12
14. Ii otoko / from the Shibuya O-EAST live of the 30/06/12

Limited A will include a bonus DVD, a Zenkoku Tour Document/Off shot of Tabi sugata! Fudanjuku and a documentary/backstage footage from their last tour.

Limited B will include a bonus DVD that will contain the Lyrics Senbatsu, videos and the lyrics. The cover is also designed by Arina Tanemura, so manga fans will probably love this copy.

When I saw this update on the Fudanjuku forums I visit, I was extremely happy, because Fudanjuku are such a fun group. Looking at the songs, I am pleased to see that Kaze Ikki, a very heavy and cool song, is first, and Ame Tokidoki Hare nochi Niji is last, giving the album an energetic, but almost calm (big contrast, Chii) send off. Also, I was happy to see that Momotaro was the Lyrics Senbatsu winner - I know that a few International fans wished for Uramasa to win, but honestly, I would have voted for Momo. His song was the most energetic, he put a lot of thought into it (it was a song made for Fudanjuku, and not himself - he loves that group xD) and I loved how he sang it when he performed. It's a nice, energy filled song that is cute and quirky, much like that ranger PV from MomoClo, but less annoying. So, I am really happy that Momo won.

Hopefully fans can pick up a copy of the album. I know the artwork isn't everyone's favourite, but I love the 'lawyer' like look it has.

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A Radio rip of Cat's Eye 7's theme song has been released for fans to listen to, so check it out HERE!

Okay, so let's be honest here - the song is cool, I don't mind the amount of stupid auto-tune used, but it's horrible to know that Risako (oh, and Yurina, but she sings decently enough), who's character was made up for the play has main vocals as opposed to the three girls playing main characters (and existing) for the play. Mai, Maimi and Maasa (not the right order but meh) in the play - why? Oh yeah... she doesn't get enough lines in Berryz, right? Geez, Maasa, stop hogging the lines in Cha Cha Sing...

Okay, that's petty (mwahaha) but honestly, it's unfair - these girls are the main cast, so I think that they should get top priority when it comes to main vocals and lines, and not some made up character who was given to Berryz Kobou's front member. The focus is supposed to be on all the members, yeah, but main characters = primary focus, not a member who has not been cast as a lead.

I like the song though, but Risako still warbles. She needs to go to the plumbers and get her pipes fixed.

Nakky sounds awesome, Mai sounds awesome, Risako sucks even with auto tune, Yurina's okay and YAY SAKI RAPPING! Maasa is god damn gorgeous and knows it, and she needed to lead the song, and Maimi is okay.

Bitchiness aside, this song is pretty awesome and I think that most of the vocals (mostly Maasa, Captain and Nakky) all worked for the song. I can't wait for the apparent PV to come out, and RAPPING! YES! I love it when Captain raps, because she's the best in H!P as a rapper right now~ can't stop listening to this song

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Takahashi Ai will be starring in the musical Joshikousei Chiyo this December. The stage play has been adapted from a manga titled Joshikousei Chiyo (64) by Satoru Hiura, and is about a 64 year old Highschooler... wait, what?

Another stage play for Takahashi Ai! She really is keeping busy as a performer, and it's great to know that she is getting a lot of work. For all of her fans, this will please many, but as for her role, it's a little vague right now, though she is one of the main characters.

Now, onto the actual play: It is indeed about a 64 year old, and is a comedy which displays the life of an active senior and showing the varying generations. This concept is strange, but appealing too, and will draw quite a bit of attention. Hopefully it will be a hit and any fans within the area will go to see it!

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Ishida Ayumi will make her first appearence on Young Town Radio on August 18th.

Whilst I am not a fan of radio myself, for radio lovers (and Morning Musume fans), this is great news, because radio is a great way to promote an Idol and to also get her personality out there. Plenty of Morning Musume members are on radio, such as Haruka, Riho, Sayumi and many others. This is fantastic news for Ayumi, who is being pushed a decent amount, as she will be able to show off more of her personality and establish herself. Hopefully all fans will be able to tune in and listen to Ayumi and hear any stories she has to tell!

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Sashihara Rino performed at Avex's annual summer a-nation as both a part of HKT48 and as a soloist.

I was extremely happy to see this little gem of news on my Twitter feed, and on Tokyohive, because it means that Rino is still considered a 'soloist', I guess. Whether or not she brings out another single is debatable, but to know that she was able to perform as a solo act is great news for all her fans! Hearing this, my sister was really happy, because she really likes Sasshi as a performer. This is incredible, ad hopefully Sasshi will be able to make her way up the 48 ladder once again and come out on top!

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Sayashi Riho and Kusumi Koharu have some fun at an amusement park together on the show Entame Tsuushin!

Nutjob! RiDOS!!! mTwo of the 'Aces' together!!! Well, I'm ecstaticabout one of them, because I love Koharu, and actually, I am surprisingly happy that Riho is able to appear on a show with her and I was really eager to see how they interacted on the show, because Koharu can be pretty crazy sometimes, whilst Riho can be rather relaxed and shy, so it was interesting to watch them together. Actually, Riho was really cute in this episode (yeah, don't get used to my praise), showing a lot more personality than normal. Of course the highlight had to be the Haunted House scene, as both girls were scared to the point where at first they refused to go in, as well as the scene where Koharu had to go on a ride by herself which she obviously was too scared to go on.

All in all, a good episode to watch for the fun Morning Musume and OG member interactions and to see them in fear. Definitely worth the watch for Koharu and Riho fans.

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A radio rip for Buono!'s FEVER has been released for everyone to listen to!

Buono! are giving us a great taste of their upcoming mini-album Sherbet with all these sweet radio rips and their recent PV, so another one is always welcome! FEVER! is a nice song, one which I could really learn to love if I listened it to enough. There are great vocals (no shrieks so far!) and a great instrumental with a lot of guitar rifts and some drums in the background, and a beat which sounds fun and energetic. Luckily the radio rip is the full song, so we get a good listen of the song, but until the HQ mp3 is out, we won't know the full force of this song.

It's nice, so give it a listen, or two, and see what you think! Very Buono!, and very nice.

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Erena Ono is set to release her second single, titled Erenyan, on October 3rd, and will also be releasing a DVD tittled Erepyon the Movie on August 29th. The movie will be a documentary about Erena's road to her debut with footage from recordings, fan events and photoshoots. For her 2nd single, there will be five editions available.

I'm happy - I like Erena Ono quite a bit, so when I saw this news I was extremely excited, because Erepyon was a good song (Sentimental Girl was a lot better, though) and so I was anticipating her second single release. Like Erepyon, the sog for Erenyan might be quite cute, but something to look forward to, as once again, Erena will be writing her own lyrics!

This is something I will definitely look forward to... roll on the PV and previews!

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Yajima Maimi and Tokunaga Chinami will both appear in a stage play titled Sugar Spot from November 2nd until December 2nd.

BerriKyuu are on quite the roll with their stage plays, and it's nice to see that Chinami is getting more to do now thanks to the amount of promotion she did for Cha Cha SING in Thailand. This is great news for stage play and Berrikyuu fans anyway, and as a Chinami fan, I am extremely happy that she was able to land a role in a play with one of BerriKyuu's more popular members, Maimi, who is one of the more experienced actresses within Hello! Project. Hopefully this will get everyone excited, and let's anticipate more news in the future!

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UpFrontChannel have uploaded a 30 second spot for Cat's Eye 7, titled Kyattsu ♥ ai (Cat's Eye), which shows the girls dancing on a roof at night.

I was surprised to see this, and whilst the 30 second spot shows us very little, it's still exciting to know that this group will (hopefully) get a PV for all the fans to watch! The night scene looks really cool, something I am really anticipating, but with the lack of footage and scenes we get in this short preview, I will say that I am not holding my breath for a spectacular PV. I won't expect a storyline... I actually only expect a dance shot and solo shots. That's it.

Anyway, this is still a nice little preview for the fans, so enjoy watching it guys!

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Dokkan Capriccio Preview

Previews for Morning Musume's Waratte YOU! and Dokkan Capriccio have been released for everyone to listen to!

Okay, so I was excited before for Morning Musume's 13th album, Colorful Character, but after hearing snippets from a few of the songs, I really am even more excited about the release, because both of these songs sound amazing. The first song is performed by the 9th and 10th generation, and is a Riho-Fukumura dominated song, something which I really am not pleased about, because we hear enough of Riho... but oh well. It is a refreshing kind of song, one that is rather summery and gentle, something which compliments all of the girls' voices quite nicely.

Dokkan Capriccio is definitely a concert song - it has that sort of Morning Musume concert vibe that Moonlight Night and Kanashiki koi no Melody have, as well as a lot of energy and high tension kind of moments. Whilst it is a Riho-Reina dominated song, it's quite good, and gets me excited about future performances with this song.

So right now, this new Morning Musume is looking (and sounding) really good. I think that this album will be much anticipated, what with some amazing songs on the list and great singers as well, I feel like this album will be better than 12 Smart.

Then again, that's my opinion~

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So, that's all the news for the week! Hopefully there was something in there to tickle your fancy. Let's wait for more news next week! Please be patient~

Chiima~

PING!!! Idolminded Recommended Reading: August 14th, 2012