Yajima Maimi & Suzuki Airi Accoustic LIVE

If you're a true follower of YajiSuzu, it is impossible for you to have missed the announcement of the amazing collaboration for today : "Pokemo. Presents Yajima Maimi & Suzuki Airi Accoustic LIVE".

Impossible for you to also have missed the particularly original and pretty well designed goods that released as well as the marvelous photosets of these true talents girls together, such as these ones :

>> all the rest here <<

Obviously, we obtained an illegal radiorip after the event (you know, those things we all hate because it doesn't respect the work of our idols and leaves no suspense but that we all, without exception, have to download at least once to hear the sweet voice of our oshimen or just a damn good concert because we can't wait ?), and since I just want to hear the absolutely angelic, beautiful, poetic voice of my oshimen as sweet as a pool of candyfloss in which I plunged my soul in desperate quest for love from this pure being blablabla - and that I just wanted to listen to a damn good collaboration - I download it. Punkt.

AND.

It's only after checking the setlist that I fucking hasted my lovely self to play that radiorip (while skipping the MCs)

GO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (sorry, that looked good on my PC)

01. Sakura Chirari

Awwww ! The acoustic version sounds so mature compared to the original. Although I'm used to °C-ute's one, their voices are really incredible on it. I find, at the first listening that their voices complement each other. Airi has a more gentle tone that make the song slowly trickling and Maimi's adds a little spice. Yeah I'm suspicious when I describe songs. I LOVE MUSIC OK. This version is a very nice and very good entry into the live. I also love the instrumental part, catchy and joyful as it should be for that song.

02. Yes! All my Family (Suzuki Airi solo ; Yajima Maimi chorus)

YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. It's. been. about. freaking. time. I'm. waiting. for. that. I was so tired of sad ballads for Airi lately, I wanted Yes! All my Family back ! Done ! Though, I'm generally a big fan of songs with a nice instrumental, but I must say that this version is totally different and I don't know what feeling it leaves me, if I prefer it to the other or not. I think this song is something that needs a real dynamism, and even if the instrumental is very well reflected through the orchestra or whatever, it makes me feel a little weird not to hear wotachants here and feel less "connection" with the audience than in normal lives. It will probably grow on me. Airi never disappoint me. She still has that childlike tone, cheerful and pleasant when she sing it, acoustic or not. I think it's a good point.

03. Lonely Girls Night (Yajima Maimi solo ; Suzuki Airi chorus)

To be honest, I've never been interested in this song. I didn't like the album SHOCKING 5 and I didn't pay attention to it in live because I found it boring - contrary to her other solo songs, I think I've never even listened to fully. I make the effort to go forward for the report here, I must say that the lyrics are very nice and the acoustic version attracts me more than the original. Great job Maimi ! Her voice was truly amazing here, I'll pay attention to your work more !

04. Venus (Shocking Blue) ~ Love Machine (Morning Musume.)

OH. MY. GOSH. I was surprised. By everyone talking about Girlfriend from Avril Lavigne I didn't even noticed there was another song in English in their live ! Venus was just so adorable, I can't believe that, being really objective I really think it was truly good even though I didn't get some lines. I'm really impressed by them, I just want H!P to have more songs made my other artists than Japanese ones in their events and why not doing some singles totally in English when their level will improve ? So I'm really glad they took the initiative to push forward their fear of singing in English and do efforts to starting something new and original in the H!P world. The mixing with Love Machine was truly good too.

05. Girlfriend - Avril Lavigne

This made me smile so much, I can't even explain. I can't wait to watch that in live, I'm sure they were soooo cheerful. I absolutely impressed by them, they did a great job ! I love how Maimi forgot some lines. Airi blew me away, like truly, she really wanted to sing in English and I'm just so impressed by her talent. During Buono!'s concert they read a French letter and she was the one with the most fluent accent, here she is too.

They could do the crappy Japanese version and they did the English one. That is just adorable from them. They didn't swear, too, contrary to Avril in her song, that little detail made me smile too.

06. REMEMBER YOU (Suzuki Airi solo + guitar)

I've always loved this song and the lyrics that touches me greatly. I loved how Airi had timidly played guitar during her solo event a while ago, I'm glad she took the time to improve to give us an even more successful performance, she seems more confident I guess it's a great new. The musical accompaniment made ​​by the other musicians makes this version better than any previous one. I also noticed her way of saying "Remember you", it's not a "Rimemba yuu" anymore and even if it seems trivial probably for some of you, it's something that is really important for me, knowing that she is really working hard on her English. I'm really proud of her.

07. Kimochi wa Tsutawaru - BoA (Suzuki Airi solo)

YES? YES? YES?! YES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YES ! THIS SONG. TOO MANY MEMORIES. H!P KIDS AUDITION. THE THING I WATCHED 52156158181 TIMES AND THE MOMENT WHEN I DISCOVERED HER AND I TOLD MYSELF "IT'S HER. FROM NOW." *calm* Well. This is a truly marvelous performance, even if as usual when she's singing and can't really take her breath Airi's screaming more than singing for some lines. Besides that, I'm just very surprised at her choice, but also truly ravished. So much nostalgia, I can't imagine the reaction of the fans who followed her since H!P Kids and are seeing her, grown, after all this time singing this song with the same passion. Great. Just great.

Lol, Caroline Airi is back during the MC ! (For those who don't know, the character Airi was playing during the AB°C tour as °C-ute's Tap teacher)

08. Ame - Moritaka Chisato (Yajima Maimi solo)
Blew. Me. Away. I've never been a fan of Maimi's voice tone during calm songs, really not at all. I think her voice is better suited for dynamic songs, but this was so soothing, pretty and precious that I have to admit that - even if I never had any doubt about it - she is really talented and if she puts so much inside a performance, ballad or genki, she can be so wonderful beyond words ! The instrumental accompanying her sweet voice is considerably beautiful, too. Amazing.

09. Sweet Memories - Matsuda Seiko (Yajima Maimi solo)

Continuing the awesomeness of the previous performance, I am pleasantly surprised. That was an superb combo of "sweet melody".

10. Boyfriend - aiko

I loved that song ! Their voices are perfect for it ! Kinda jazzy and I loved the variety of the tone in the lines, sometimes low, sometimes sweet, sometimes impressive, sometimes funny... Absolutely successful performance, probably their best duet in that live for the moment from my point of view.

11. Aitai - yuzu

The kind of emotional and powerful ballad I love, through the lyrics or the melody. Maimi's voice which give even more power and Airi's one which accentuates makes it all wonderful. I DON'T KNOW ANYMORE WHAT'S THEIR MOST AWESOME PERFORMANCE IT'S ALL GOOD.

12. Sekaichii HAPPY na Onnanoko

It... it sounds like the NES version ahahah. I loved it ! Even more joyful than the original one. Not a performance that particularly blew me away though.

13. JUMP

This one, too, didn't blew me away or I didn't really "listened" to it deeply. Their voices are, as usual, creating a superb harmony though. I also loved how they shared this performance with the fans by asking them to sing !

14. Kimi wa Jitensha, Watashi wa Densha de Kitaku

When I saw that on the setlist I spazzed. Surely my favourite single from °C-ute and I sincerely wanted to listen to an acoustic version of it. Gives us a little preview of what their solo versions of this song will be eh? Even though the instrumental in studio sounds better than the acoustic for this song - since it have kinda deep meaning, the acoustic one seems more "lovely" than this one ? I don't know how to explain. I prefer the single version recorded in studio for the instrumental, but I loved this performance for the true talent of these girls emerging from it.

15. Image Color

Well, as most of the °C-ute song in acoustic here, it didn't impress me that much or left something "inked" into me, but it was... cute.

This initially promising collaboration proved to be as beautiful and amazing as its announcement let us expecting it. I never listen to the entire radiorip usually - crappy quality - and here I was really surprised by the quality of the setlist and all the performances that each girl could do, being solo or duet. I cannot wait to see them live and I remind for those who don't know that Mai will, in her next USTREAM show, show a part of this event more than perfect. It's not a surprise that these two are members of the H!P-singers-aces, but this is a proof of their talent so put that every time someone is saying "OMG GETTING TOO MUCH LINES NOT FAIR TSUNKU WHY YOU NOT RESPECTFUL I HATE H!P ME NOT LISTENING TO °C-UTE ANYMORE".

What did you think about this collaboration ? 

Thank you for reading my post. 

See you soon ! 

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Berryz Koubou's album review.

Hello everyone! It's Chobi. It's been awhile, and I hope you are all well.
Today, my article will be about Berryz latest album released : Ai no Album 8.

I've always been disappointed with Hello! Project's albums in general. Buono!'s and MM's ones are the only things which mostly calm my hunger for good songs, with a fairly varied content which is always satisfying. And so it's with this habit of very bad albums for the other groups that I participate in the exploration of Berryz's latest one.

● Ai no Album 8

regular edition

Order it on :
CD JAPAN // YESASIA  // HMV

01 Ｍｙｔｈｏｌｏｇｙ～愛のアルバム～
02 世の中薔薇色
03 Shy boy 
04 Ｂｅｃａｕｓｅ ｈａｐｐｉｎｅｓｓ 
05 恋愛模様／徳永千奈美・須藤茉麻・熊井友理奈・菅谷梨沙子 
06 愛の弾丸 
07 甘酸っぱい春にサクラサク／Berryz工房×℃-ute 
08 新しい日々／清水佐紀・嗣永桃子・夏焼 雅 
 09 ああ、夜が明ける 
10 青春劇場(Berryz工房Ver.)



limited edition

Order it on :
CD JAPAN // YESASIA // HMV

DVD : 
1.Be 元気＜成せば成るっ！＞(Live Ver.) 
2.Be 元気＜成せば成るっ！＞(清水佐紀 Solo) 
3.Be 元気＜成せば成るっ！＞(嗣永桃子 Solo) 
4.Be 元気＜成せば成るっ！＞(徳永千奈美 Solo) 
5.Be 元気＜成せば成るっ！＞(須藤茉麻 Solo) 
6.Be 元気＜成せば成るっ！＞(夏焼雅 Solo) 
7.Be 元気＜成せば成るっ！＞(熊井友理奈) 
8.Be 元気＜成せば成るっ！＞(菅谷梨沙子) 
●特典映像：アルバムジャケット撮影メイキング映像付




Let's begin !
1. Mythology ~Ai no Album~
Huh. That's my reaction when I heard that. Would be perfect for ABBA, but not for Berryz Koubou *skip*

2. Yo no Naka no Barairo
The intro is perfect, this sounds good. It's a song that reflects the fair point of Berryz Koubou : the harmony between the members's voices. I terribly like the rythm and the instrumental ! This song will be perfect in live, I guess. It catches up the poverty of the previous song and is a great surprise ! Yes, it's a song which is a pleasure to listen to until the end.

03. Shy Boy
I don't really like the intro. The voices of the girls are too loud and there is no interesting instrumental. The autotune is appreciable at first but is absolutely disgusting from the verse before the chorus. I like the end of the song, but I'm not going to listen to it all the time, sincerely the autotune destroy my ears.

04. Because Happiness
Ah, something which sounds interesting. Well, nothing special to say about it, I just love the chorus and I think this song will be good in live too. An enjoyable bouncy song.

05. Ren'ai Moyo
The intro suggests a marvelous song. At first, I found it really boring, but by listening to it few times I have to admit that it's a really soothing and perfect song for the girls. I really love it.

08. Atarashii Hibi
Again, an intro which suggest something interesting, but I was quickly disappointed. I find it just... annoying and boring at a maximum level, unfortunately. The great points are, again, the voices of the girls.

10. Seishun Gekijou (Berryz Koubou ver.)
It's not that I don't like it, it's that I prefer °C-ute's one. Not because °C-ute is my favourite group, but because there is less girls and the lines were clearer due to that, which leaves a more enjoyable feeling  (for me, at least).

Well, before this review my opinion was blocked on the "I seriously don't like it", but I have to admit that I have to change it a bit. I'm not going to listen to that album everytime, but it's clearly a quite good one, even though as usual the whole isn't particulary great. There is still songs that have to be put forward and others that I will forget forever. Besides that, I want to congratulate all the girls for their improvement in terms of singing, especially Captain, Maasa and Chinami.

7/10 for that album ! Not a gem, but something unpretentious, simple and pretty at the same time.


What did you think about it ? 

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[BD-RIP] Berryz Koubou's Heroine ni Narou ka! 720p HD + Berryz PV collection review

Note: Originally I planned to have all of the PVs done by today but I'm really busy right now and that won't happen. So, this post is both a download link for Heroine ni Naraou ka! so that you can preview what is to come, as well as a review of the Berryz Blu-ray PV collection. I should have the rest of the PVs uploaded by Saturday.

My copy of Berryz's Blu-ray PV collection arrived yesterday with the S/mileage concert (I bought the Berryz video by myself, so it's not a part of ADDP). Yay!

When these PV collections were first announced, I was definitely looking forward to see the PVs in HD. But, then it was revealed that only a handful of them would be in HD and the rest would be SD upscales. Of course I was a bit disappointed, but the earlier PVs were not likely shot in HD anyway so it couldn't be helped.

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Buono!'s partenza mini album review

Here's my review of Buono!'s first mini-album, partenza.

The last time I reviewed an album, it was hilariously horrible. How do I feel about partenza? Read on if you care.

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Hello! Project 2011 Winter A-gana concert

First I want to give a big thanks to the wota who uploaded the ISOs and Hidders for telling me about them. This is my encode of the A-gana Live Hello! Project 2011 Winter Concert DVD.

I will do a HD encode whenever the 80 GB Blu-ray torrent finishes, but I'm not expecting it to for another few weeks.

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Hilariously horrible official Hello! Project English covers

So if you didn't know, in 2001 during the height of Morning Musume's (and Hello! Project's) popularity, an English cover album was released to the public. It probably should not have been.

I don't know who thought this would be a good idea, but it happened (twice) nonetheless.

For whatever reason, I have decided to sit down and listen to these songs again (I listened to them a couple of years back when I first got into H!P and remember not being able to finish) and review them.

If you are feeling masochistic then you can click on each song title to listen to them on Youtube.

1. Dance Site by Denice Williams
Do note that the songs were given "new" English names, but you can usually tell which songs they are. This is Koi no Dance Site.

This song is actually a decent way to start things off. If I didn't know the original song, I probably wouldn't be angry. But Denice's reinterpretation is a bit too.. serious? Like the original is all playful and stuff, but this seems like a serious R&B track. Which, again, would be fine if it were a song by itself. The only problem is that it's not.

And the random Japanese inserted into the song is kinda funny. It's all ~seriousenglish seriousenglish WAI YAI YAI seriousenglish~ Also the ending was kinda creepy
4/10

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Keitai Kanojo review + plot analysis (spoilers!)

It's been a long time since I reviewed anything, eh?

I finally got a chance to watch Keitai Kanojo last night so here is my review. I wanted to make this post separate from my other post with the download link because this review will contain massive spoilers. I will discuss major plot points and the ending so read at your own risk!

When Keitai Kanojo ("Cellphone Girl") was announced November of last year, I was excited to say the least. My favorite Idol (Suzuki Airi), in my favorite movie genre (horror)? Sounds like a recipe for awesomeness. But, the straight-to-DVD stipulation had me a little worried. Would the movie be as cheaply made as your normal Hello! Project PV? Would the acting be corny? And more importantly, would the story be a rehashed shell that we've seen countless times?

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C-ute 2010 Summer Concert review

Finally released to the internet the other day was C-ute's 2010 Summer Concert Tour (not sure whether to call it fall or summer because the title says "natsu aki", which translates to "summer fall", but since it started in August I just call it their summer tour).

1. Dance de Bakoon!

Surprisingly this was my least favorite performance of this song. I love it to death but a combination of the outfits (makes a hot song like this less hot) and placement of this song (I wouldn't have picked this to open the concert) contributed to my conclusion. This is what inevitably happens with great songs - you play them over and over until you get tired of them. I didn't sense a large level of excitement from Dance de Bakoon! like I usually do. Even the jajajaja~s weren't quite as energetic as usual. But still, a sub-par version of Dance de Bakoon! is better than most other performances.
7.5/10

2. Disco Queen

The intro was pretty cool. It was a remix of sorts where all of the girls got a chance to step up on the higher platforms and do a quick solo dance. The only problem is the solo dances were largely lame. None of them really made me go "wow". Moving on to the actual song, it was business as usual. Great co-leads by Mai and Saki.
8/10

3. Tokaikko Junjou

Again, another solid performance, but nothing terribly exciting. We've seen this many times before. I think I prefer this later on in the concert though. The hideous disco jellyfish outfits again take away some of the sexiness of the dance. I hope they burned them after the concert.
7.5/10

4. MC

I usually don't review MCs but I'm writing this to the people who usually skip MCs. If that applies to you, then make sure you listen to this one even if you don't understand a word. If you don't, then you will be confused throughout the whole concert as to why the girls keep pointing to their crotches. Plus Maichan does a pretty epic Beat Takeshi impersonation.

If you watched and are still confused, the komanechi crotch thing is another impersonation of Japanese comedian Beat Takeshi. C-ute is using it as a way to lighten the mood. They do it at least a dozen different times throughout the concert (at least twice per MC), so be on the lookout. Since I have nothing better to do, I will keep a count of it throughout this review. Current komanechi count: 7

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Eri's cover songs review + moar H!P iTunes goodies

I'll start off with the goodies first. Chisato, as well as a slew of other Hello! Project members released a couple of solos a couple of days ago. It's unknown if it is tied to this Hello! Cover thing, but who cares. They are studio quality solo recordings!

And now onto a review of Eri's. I don't have all of other's, so a review of them will have to wait. But I will go ahead and say that Airi's solo was pure win.

Eri has spent some time in my top 10 favorite members. She's been as high as #4. She has (pleasantly) surprised me on numerous occasions with her power. I've always considered her to be a solid singer, but not great. Definitely underrated though. Would her cover album hold up to my past evaluations of her?

1. Furusato (originally by Morning Musume)



This song has been covered to death (including this one, my iPod now has six different versions and there are even more than that out there), so you'll have to forgive me if I wasn't looking forward to hearing this for the millionth time.

There is something cool about Eri's version though. She uses a lot of vibrato, which works well in this song, I think. Eri's version just seems sincere and that is exactly how a song like Furusato must be sang to do it justice.

2. Koi wo Shichaimashita! (Originally by Tanpopo)



I never was a fan of Tanpopo (I'm not even a fan of Tanpopo#), but this was one of the songs that I actually liked. Kamei is one of the few current H!P members that would have fit right in with the original Tanpopo. For the second song in a row, this is sang exactly like it should. I might like this version a bit better than the original.

3. Manatsu no Kousen (originally by Morning Musume)



If I had known she was singing this song, it probably would have been one I'd look forward to. It's one of the few Morning Musume classics that I don't think is sung enough. We've had more than enough Love Machine or Renai Revolution to hold us off for another 20 years. I'd love to hear this or Memory Seishun Hikari a little more often.

Eri's version is seriously awesome. If this was my first exposure to Hello! Project, I would instantly become a fan. I won't go as far and say its as good as the original, but it's by far the best cover of the song I've ever heard. This is my most listened to song of the cover album.

4. Seinaru Kane ga Hibiku Yoru (originally by Tanpopo)



Okay maybe I should reconsider my dislike of Tanpopo because this song is straight up amazing. Manatsu may be the most played song of the bunch, but this is my highest rated song of the bunch (I rated it 4.5/5 stars on iTunes). Eri's version was my first exposure to this song so I came in not knowing what to expect. Because of that, I can't compare, but I do know that this is another excellent choice by Eri. She really knows her voice well. If you only buy one song from the bunch, I would suggest this one.

5. Egao ni Namida ~Thank You! Dear My Friends~ (originally by Matsuura Aya)



My first exposure to this song was at the Elder Club graduation. I remember being awestruck hearing Aya sing this song along with all of H!P. She just sounded great and looked so cool standing in front of her kouhais. I was really, really worried for Eri taking on this song. I would have thought it to be out of her range, but she completely proved me wrong. Aya definitely sings this better, but Aya sings everything better than everyone so that's not surprising. This is a very, very close second best song of the cover album for me.

6. Love Namida Iro (originally by Matsuura Aya)



Yay, more Ayaya songs. Should be great right? Not quite. Maybe it's because Chisato already covered this song first. Maybe it's the fact that I've heard Aya sing this a dozen times before. Whatever it is, I'm not realling feeling this cover. For me, Love Namida Iro is just classic Ayaya and because of that, it is virtually impossible to not compare it to the original, which Eri's version cannot begin to compare. If I had to pick a version besides Aya's then I'd go with Chisato's, but again, no one can beat Aya.

7. Koi no Hana (originally by Abe Natsumi)



Okay now we're back on track. I kind of like the original. You can definitely tell it was written for Abe if you've ever listened to her music before. With that said, this could totally be an actual Eri single. Once again, I think Eri picked a perfect song for her voice. This is exactly the type of song I hope she sings if she decides to go solo after she gets her health in order. Actually this is kind of out in left field, but I'd like to see her sing an enka song just for kicks.

8. Onegai Miwaku no Target (orginally by Melon Kinenbi)



Again we have a song that I'm hearing for the first time. I'm kind of indifferent to this one. It's nice to hear Eri sing a rockish song to change things up a bit, but I'm not sure if it fits. This might grow on me though.

9. Kousui (originally by Melon Kinenbi)



The last song of the album. It's not bad. Doesn't make me want to sing along (which is probably for the best). I kinda wish she picked a different song other than this one, but I'm not really complaining. She sounds pretty good here; I just don't like the song.

And there you have it. Overall I really enjoyed this cover album. It's a really, really interesting concept if done properly (i.e. having the girls pick their own songs and not making them do the same songs as Eri). A couple of the songs I probably won't be listening to unless they pop up during shuffle, but the rest of them I definitely will listen to again (as in right now).

If you want to support Eri (and you know you do), then you can buy the songs here: http://itunes.apple.com/jp/album/id406607944

Just click the button on the far right of the song you want to buy that says "iTunes で見る" and iTunes will open on your PC (assuming you have it installed). You can then purchase the songs from inside iTunes.

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C-ute 2010 Cutie Circuit Concert Review

Just in case you didn't know, C-ute does this Cutie Circuit thing at least once a year on the same date: September 10th. The Japanese title is more or less the same every year, "℃-ute Cutie Circuit 2010～9月10日は℃-uteの日～", which translates to "C-ute Cutie Circuit September 10th, 2010 is C-ute's Day."

C-ute's day indeed. They have held their yearly Cutie Circuit every year since 2007 on September 10th. It's become an annual tradition, just like the DJ Maimai, MC Chissa, and MC Kappa skit that I eagerly anticipate.

Yesterday night, I was able to watch the concert DVD in its entirety and before I even write this review, I can tell that there will be a lot of highly rated performances. I'm not ready to crown it just yet, but I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a C-ute concert (or any H!P concert, really) from start to finish as much as I did this one. I've only written reviews for two H!P concerts before, and neither got an overall score higher than 7.5/10. Can C-ute change that trend?

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Get your virtual date on with Berryz Koubou

As expected, Berryz Koubou's second Alo-Hello hit Japanese stores today (or rather yesterday). Their first trip to Hawaii contained some of my favorite moments in Hello! Project history, so naturally I had high hopes for their second trip. Could they create another masterpiece?

The DVD actually starts off really, really well.

Captain staring out into the Hawaiian sunset

The DVD begins as Captain rides a hotel elevator up to the 20th floor. She quickly finds her room and begins to settle in before her phone rings.

Captain's fake ringtone happens to be Maji Bomber, cool

Who could it be?

Miyabi of course!

From here we get a cheap looking intro screen that leads to Captain looking at a map of what I can only assume is Hawaii.

You're not in Japan anymore, Captain

Shortly after, Captain gives the cutest look ever into the camera. I think my heart melted.

Don't worry Captain, keep looking like that and I'll help you

This begins a short introduction of all of the Berryz members. Momoko appears next handing out some sort of pink card to random strangers.

Why aren't the people who hand out random crap in my neighborhood as cute as Momoko?

Afterwards Chinami is shown sitting on a stool smiling, Maasa is looking cool with a surfboard, Miyabi is out posing with a creepy looking stuffed animal, and Yurina and Risako are seen together on a park bench.

Seriously, that creepy bear thing is not cute. Thankfully Miyabi is.

The music dies out and the screen fades to black. Chinami is shown coloring some sort of flyer before Yurina and Risako show up.

Girls WANTED BEACH PARTY HAPPY BEACH

Oh well, I guess us boys aren't invited.

Luckily there happens to be a Japanese girl sitting across the table.

Yes, they're talking about you, Captain

One thing that I must say about this DVD is the cinematography and editing is seriously superior to what I'm used to seeing from a normal UFA DVD. It totally feels like I'm watching a movie about Berryz's adventures (you hear that UFA? sounds like an epic idea for 2011).

Anyway, back to the DVD. Chinami asks if Captain is free, but Captain is busy being lost.

Chinami pulls out her ultimate weapon - her smile.

Seriously, what sane human being could resist that face? I know I can't.

Meanwhile, Maasa is bored out of her mind in some yogurt shop, waiting for her order to be made by a familiar face.

Momoko appears to be pleased with her creation

Granted, I don't eat much of the stuff, but is this really what is considered yogurt now-a-days?

Fruit and.. sprinkles? Not sure if want

Momoko plops down next to Maasa to make sure she enjoys every bite of her hard work.

Maybe it isn't that bad after all. Maasa seems to be enjoying it.

However, it seems like working as a yogurt employee was only a disguise for Momoko's real plan.

The return of the beach party. Oh hey this DVD actually has a plot.

Maasa agrees to go, which was exactly what Momoko wanted. Momoko shoves the remaining beach party invites into Maasa's hands and entrusts her to finish the job.

Is that... Miyabi eating and conversing with random Hawaiins? Lucky people.

Like a good girl, Maasa carries on her new job of advertising the mysterious beach party. She runs into Miyabi in some sort of shop. After greeting her with an "aloha!", Maasa decides to do nothing else but stare at Miyabi.

Maasa REALLY wants you to come to her party

The story moves back to Captain's side of things. She is seen using her cellphone once more.

"IS THAT YOUR CAT?!"

It's Miyabi again. She wants to go with Captain to the party, but Captain declines. This is where the DVD takes a turn for the worst. I was legitimately enjoying the DVD. It wasn't your typical Alo-Hello, but it was something interesting nonetheless.

Instead of continuing on with the story as they did for the first six minutes, each member is filmed staring into the camera for ten minutes each. I'm not kidding.

Seriously, it's like the director of this DVD decided to use the greatest idea ever and then found the best (or should I say worst) way possible to make this DVD suck.

I wanted to like this. I really did. Berryz Koubou was my first love, after all. But this DVD isn't one of my favorites. Honestly, if the DVD had just started off with the members just posing for the camera like they did for the remainder of the DVD, then I probably wouldn't have had such a big problem with it. It's the fact that they teased us with such an epic opening and then decide to pull the rug from underneath us before we even got anywhere.

With that said, it's not the worst video ever. I can certainly think of a million things worse I could be doing than staring at Berryz Koubou for an hour.

And not all hope is lost. After each member is done doing virtually nothing for the camera, they show us a really nice re-interpretation of one of the songs of Berryz's twenty-second single, Tomodachi wa Tomodachi Nanda!



Honestly the whole DVD was worth it just for the awesome opening and this PV. Plus there's the whole thing with Berryz in bikinis together. Win.

After that there is a short offshot/making of (and by short, I mean a couple of seconds). The girls are still in their bikinis, so it's even more win.

After being told by Miyabi to pose for the camera, this is apparently the first thing that popped into Chinami's head, nice.

Overall, this DVD was quite a letdown compared to their first Alo-Hello. If you don't compare it to that, it's okay. There were some pretty nice moments. I skimmed through most of the staring into camera thing, but if you have a favorite Berryz member, you'll almost definitely enjoy watching her onscreen by herself for a couple of minutes. Also, the PV at the end was a very nice touch.

However, UFA's biggest mistake wasn't what is in the DVD; but rather, it's what is not.

Can you spot what's missing?

Oh, the irony.

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Hello! Project 2010 Summer Concert review

It's Thursday and all of the new H!P releases for the week (except for the Morning Musume Blu-Ray concert which I don't expect to show up) have surfaced on the internet. Last night after I got the concert up on my channel, I was able to watch the concert in it's entirety and so here is my review.

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Berryz Koubou's 2010 Summer Concert Review

I was finally able to watch the concert in its entirety last night, so here are my thoughts on all of the performances. Just a quick note as to how I'll do this: I won't go over the MCs, just songs and any time they sing during a skit. I'll quickly give my thoughts on the song, performance, and how the girls sang it and give my rating of that performance on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being the worst, 10 being the best).

1. Maji Good Chance Summer

 Not my favorite song ever, but it's decent. I didn't really like the way the concert started - with a skit MC and a medium tempo song like this; I prefer to start with a high energy song, but oh well. It's a pretty standard group song and pretty standard performance. Risako's monologues were probably the best part of the song. 7/10

2. VTR

A very nice change from the normal member introduction VTRs that have become standard at H!P concerts. Instead of cheap looking graphics announcing each member, we are treated to a short video of the girls at a beach with Koi wa Hipparidako playing in the background. Definitely one of the better VTRs in recent memory. 10/10

3. Rival

First off, nice dresses. So sparkly~ Anyway, another song that I'm really indifferent to. Definitely not a bad song, just not my thing. It was sang pretty well, though, except for Risako's final falsetto note. 7/10

4. Koi no Jubaku

Now we're getting to the good stuff. There's nothing more awesome than old school Berryz. Any song where the wota are able to chant "L-O-V-E LOVELY Yurina/Miyabi/whoever" is instantly awesome. They all sound good here, especially Yurina. She's really becoming a great singer as of late. 9/10

5. Tomodachi wa Tomodachi Nanda!

This concert started really slow for me with the skit at the beginning and no true high energy song anywhere to be seen. Tomodachi is another one of those inbetween medium tempo songs that is just okay to me. It has a kind of nice, laid back feel to it that I prefer to see near the middle or end of a setlist. 7/10

6. Yakimochi wo Kudasai (Captain, Chinami, Risako)

My favorite part of concerts is right here, when the girls break off into smaller groups and sing duets and solos. I was a little disappointed hearing this because we've already heard it at the Yomiuri Land outdoor event, so it doesn't have that fresh feel to it that new songs have being performed for the first time. I wasn't a fan of their 6th album, but this song is a lot better when its performed live, so good for those three. The colorful patchwork overall outfits are also awesome. 7.5/10

7. Grand Demo Rouka Demo Medatsu Kimi (Yurina and Maasa)

A H!P concert isn't complete without a long titled song, so here we go. In this case, it also happens to be one of my favorite performances. I didn't really like it listening to it for the first couple of times on CD, but Yurina  really make this song come alive in concert. Their voices sound really great together. I'd love to see more Yurina/Maasa duets in the future. 8.5/10

8. Ai ni wa Ai Desho (Miyabi and Momoko)

Now this is what I'm talking about. A great song and two of Berryz's best singing it. They are also wearing my favorite outfits of the concert. This was hands down my favorite performance (so far). I could watch those two sing all day. 9.5/10

9. Natsu Wakame

In the middle of another skit, the girls break out into song. I always love Berryz's summer concerts because they have so many great summer themed songs and Natsu Wakame is no exception. Too bad they sung a short version. Afterwards, it was back to the skit. 9/10

10. Maji Natsu Sugiru

The Berikyuu concerts lately seem to each have some sort of special moment in the middle - usually for C-ute its some sort of dance (tap dancing) and Berryz has this beatboxing acapella thing going on. This time they did a Maji Natsu Sugiru acapella beatboxing performance and it was awesome. Risako's vocals sounded much better here than the Gag 100kai Bun beatboxing performance and all the girls singing backup and doing random beatboxing sounds sounded really in sync. 9/10 

11. Natsu Remember You

The third summer song in a row, but I'm not complaining. This is the point in the concert where I don't mind the slower songs. Once again, they all sound great here. But I have to highlight one person in particular. Miyabi's final solo - her "deau no kamo shirenai" line was by far the best sang line of the whole concert and was sang to absolute perfection. A couple of Risako's high notes early were a bit painful, but Miyabi's was spot on. It was at this point that I really had to reconsider how I feel about the girl's singing talents. Miyabi put herself right back at the top of my list after this performance. 10/10

12. Medley (Miyabi, Momoko, Captain, Yurina)

They sang short versions of three songs - Anshinkan, Passion E-CHA E-CHA, and Fighting Pose. Nothing terribly special here; it's nothing Berryz fans haven't heard already. Neither song is anything I get excited over, so I can't say I really loved this medley. 6/10

13. Medley (Maasa, Risako, Chinami)

Before I even talk about the songs, I have to say something about the outfits. Berryz have been known to wear pretty weird things over the years, but I think this medley's outfits have taken things to a whole new level. As soon as Maasa, Risako, and Chinami strutted out wearing pineapple outfits, I couldn't take the songs seriously because I had trouble controlling my laughter. Anyway, they had the better songs of the two medleys I think. They sang Berry Fields, Yume de Do Up, and Toshoshitsu Taiki. One thing I really love about Berryz is that no matter how you split the members, the resulting duet, triplet, or whatever will end up giving you a great all around performance. I consider these three to be Berryz's weakest singers and yet they took on (and did a great job) on three of what I'd say are some of the harder to sing Berryz songs, so props to them. 8/10

14. Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance

Now it all makes sense.. sort of. The remaining four girls ran out wearing similar costumes, except they happened to have bananas and monkeys on their outfits (as opposed to the equally hilarious pineapple outfits). Girls like Momoko seem to be quite comfortable wearing something like that, but it was nice to see someone like Miyabi that has sort of a "cool character" wear something incredibly silly. Yuke Yuke is one of my most underrated Berryz songs of all time, so it goes without saying that I enjoyed this. 8/10

15. Seishun Bus Guide

This is where I feel this concert really hit its stride. Much better outfits and one of my favorite Berryz songs = win. The girl that really stood out to me here was Risako. After a somewhat rough concert so far, she really began to shine. I really think Risako has somewhat of a power voice and this song really shows this. She is at her best when she can show her fierce side. 8.5/10

16. Ryuusei Boy

Out of the double A sides, this was never really my favorite, but it's a solid song nonetheless. What I do like about this song is that everyone really gets a chance to step into the spotlight with a solo or at least dancing in the center. 7.5/10

17.  Otakebi Boy Wao

Quite possibly my favorite Berryz song of all time right here. Once again Risako gets fierce and I love it. Miyabi, Momoko and the rest of the girls aren't too far behind. I don't like to use the word "perfect" often, but this performance was absolutely that. Definitely my favorite of the concert. 10/10

18. Yuujou Junjou oh Seishun

Typical end of concert song. A great high energy way to wind down. My only problem is that it's performed at basically every Berryz concert, so I've heard it a countless number of times by now. Still a pretty good song. 7.5/10

19. Maji Bomber 

Nice to see this performed live at a concert (and in the original outfits)! Again, not one of my favorites, but still very solid. Everyone sounded really awesome here as well, especially Risako. 7.5/10

20. Bye Bye Mata ne

Some people did not approve of singing this song, but I say why not? I don't like songs that are only sung for special occasions (such as for graduations). It gives this sad stigma to it that I hate. If a song is good, then I am perfectly fine with them singing it anywhere. With that said, there is no doubt this song is special to Berryz. I almost choked up myself when Yurina could barely finish her solo. A great way to end the concert. 8.5/10

Overall, this was a solid concert. Not one of their best, but not forgettable either. There were a couple of really great standout performances (Otakebi and Natsu Remember You) that really made this concert. A couple of old favorites of mine were missing (Jiriri Kiteru, Munaswagi, Special Generation, etc) but still a decent setlist. The Maji Natsu Sugiru beatboxing thing was great to watch. I give this concert a 7.5/10.

Also, after every concert I always like to think about who I feel did the best and which performance was my favorite. As I said earlier, Natsu Remember You really surprised me (in a good way) and my best performer of this concert goes to Miyabi. She's always been a great singer, but for a while I considered her Berryz's 3rd or 4th best. However now she totally impressed me this concert and she has finally dethroned Momoko to take Berryz's best singer spot.

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