9 posts tagged “hello!project”

Finally, a second H!P Egg concert released on DVD! I can't skip this chance to write another review on my favourite fandom topic, H!P Eggs. I'll try to both write some general things about the concert and look into the members one by one, by taking also my old opinions into consideration. I'm curious to find out how my opinions have changed, the girls have improved, or if I've made any predictions back in the day that now make sense (or the opposite!).

First of all, the setlist for this concert was pretty damn good:

1. ＪＵＭＰ   全員
2. ラブ＆ピ～ス！ＨＥＲＯがやって来たっ。    能登・田中・仙石・吉川・古川・森・北原・古峰・和田・前田（ゆ）・福田・佐保・岡井・関根・小川・前田（い）・新井
3. 印象派ルノアールのように   能登・吉川・関根・小川
4. ＳＨＡＬＬ　ＷＥ　ＬＯＶＥ？   田中・仙石・北原
5. デート日和   古川・佐保
6. 行く！ZYX FLY HIGH   古峰・和田・岡井・前田（い）・新井  
7. 恋はひっぱりだこ   森・福田
8. １００回のＫＩＳＳ   前田（ゆ）
9. ＥＶＥＲＹＤＡＹ　ＹＥＡＨ！片思い   岡井・前田（い）・新井
10. 色っぽい女～ＳＥＸＹＢＡＢＹ～   田中・北原・古峰
11. ロマンチック浮かれモード   吉川・関根
12. 大阪　恋の歌    古川・森・前田（ゆ）・福田・佐保・小川
13. １７の夏   和田
14. 手を握って歩きたい   能登・仙石・譜久村・金子・竹内
15. 浮気なハニーパイ
16. ザ☆ピ～ス！
17. BYE BYE またね

JUMP and Love&Peace! are both high energy songs that will get the crowd going, followed by two 'sexy' songs. Most notably there's only one ballad, which is great news to me as a bit of a ballad hater (I just prefer songs with energy and some beat). Romantic Ukare Mode is a H!P concert classic that never fails, and BYE BYE Mata Ne a great ending song, since it brings a tear to my eye, and I hear I'm not the only one. There are quite a few cute, fun songs to boot. Nothing wrong with the setlist, really.

Generally speaking the Eggs have improved vocally and as performers significantly since the first H!P Egg concert. Most noticeable are "the little ones" who seemed to be a bit lost on stage still at the first concert. But they are by no means the only ones who have got better. Honestly, there were times when these girls didn't seem any less talented than the current Morning Musume. Egg fans have a reason to be proud and non-Egg fans have a reason to be worried, since they may get utterly charmed by some of these girls in the near future.

Time to finally start the member by member babble. Man, taking these screencaps took way too much time. Let's start with the newbies, aka FRESH MEAT! 

(Always from left to right)

Takeuchi Akari
I thought that there was no way that H!P Eggs could get cuter once I'd seen the likes of Fukuda Kanon and Maeda Yuuka. And then little Takechan came along. She really is too adorable! I was surprised to see in the concert backstage videos how relaxed and at ease she already seems to be around other Eggs. Heck, she doesn't mind if others play with her cheeks. (Seems like I'm not the only who finds her adorable, huh?) The cameras also seem to interest her, since whenever one was around and she noticed it, she'd approach it or at least curiously look at it - like a little puppy learning her surroundings.

Kaneko Rie
For some reason, Ricchan makes me giggle. During the concert she sometimes has the funniest expressions. Based only on her picture I thought that she wouldn't be someone I'd notice easily, but on the contrary, she stood out to me instantly. There's just something very funny about her. She'll make a great source for gifs and screencaps...

Fukumura Mizuki
I find this girl very, very pretty. I also find it adorable that she cried after the Shiba concert (I believe this clip is only on dohhhup, not the bonus video that came with the concert). Somehow the teary eyes made her even prettier. But that's all for now, I don't really know her all that well yet.

All in all, these three new members are a great addition to H!P Eggs. They're quite different from each other, and all likeable in their own way. They also seem to have settled in nicely. Hopefully little Miyamoto Karin has received as warm a welcome. And now onto more experienced Eggs...

Saho Akari
Previously I had commented on her nice 'clear' singing voice and how I had liked her for no obvious reason. Well, I still like her (although possibly less than before, for no obvious reason), and her voice turned out to be even better in the Shiba concert. It was funny how Akari was paired with Konatsu in a Date Biyori performance. It was like watching two opposites: Akari with her mild expressions and Konatsu with her over-the-top faces. But I think she did well enough. Overall, she doesn't seem to stand out too much, though. I wish her luck with Shugo Chara Egg - it's likely that she'll be the least popular one of the four.

Tanaka Anri
The previous time I was impressed with her performance skills. I'm afraid to say that this time, while she did as well as in the first concert DVD, the other Eggs have been working hard and reached her level or even surpassed her. However, she seems to have a very likeable personality, both big sister-like and goofy. I have to admit that a lot of the time I'm unable to concentrate on anything else that she does because I've noticed that her teeth are so off-focus that it looks like she only has one front tooth, right in the middle. It's really distracting. I'm not usually an ass about teeth but this one really bothers me... Ok, time to move on to the next person.

Noto Arisa

I've only ever had good things to say about Nocchi and the same continues. Cute, energetic, good voice. I don't think more needs to be said.

Okai Asuna
I've said earlier that Asuna doesn't seem to be a natural idol, and that still holds true. I think she might be the only Egg that hasn't improved noticeably since the first concert DVD. She still dances with a serious expression on her face and doesn't seem to be 100% into the performance. At least her voice seems to be nice, just like her sister's, but not as strong. In the end, she's not very memorable compared to other Eggs.

Wada Ayaka
Dawa is one of my new top favourites, although I've always liked her. Her physical awkwardness, ditzy personality and cute face result in one adorably loveable package. Her solo performance in the concert was too cute, her angry expression in the backstage video too awesome for mere mortals. And her voice isn't bad, either. If she one day grows out of her awkward phase, I might actually feel a bit sad for a little while. Until I get used to it.

Sekine Azusa
Sekkii surprised me last time with her stage presence and she certainly didn't let me down this time, either. Moreover, it was not only her stage presence that was good, but her singing, as well! I'd say she is easily one of the best Eggs vocally. It's hard to believe that she's only 12 years old. She's such a natural on stage and also looks older than her age. This girl is really quite awesome.

Maeda Irori
Irorin continues to be radient and cute. In addition, her singing voice is quite good. I was surprised. (I feel like I'm praising everyone's singing, but they really were better than I'd expected!) She really seems to have been born to do this - it was almost scary how she was able to put on a mature expression during Iku! ZYX FLY HIGH. Young promise indeed.

Fukuda Kanon
Kanon was great vocally and with her stage presence, as usual. I'm looking forward to seeing her in Shugo Chara Egg, should be fun to see her in a proper unit (I'm aware that there is already some footage of this, but I need more). The performance with Kanon and Morisaki was pretty awesome: it was the two H!P fangirls/bloggers representing. Singing Berryz, too (Morisaki is a huge Momoko fan). Good times!

Furukawa Konatsu

Konatsu can be really over-the-top in energetic songs, which is both good and bad. Good because she stands out, bad because she's too OTT to my liking. I prefer her in more serious songs like Osaka Koi no Uta where she can calm down a bit but still show her dancing and performing skills. She used to be one of my favourites, but because I feel that she sometimes even tries too hard, I've lost some interest in her... But I still love to see her dance because that is her strength.

Arai Manami
Manami has definitely changed from the first new face concert. She used to look completely lost on stage, forget to smile and such. Now she's cheerful, cute, and can sing well enough. One of my favourite bits from the backstage bonus video was by her, a weird little dance (with Konatsu standing behind her). She's still a bit quiet and there's room to improve, but I was really impressed by her nevertheless.

Sengoku Minami
Sengoku in SHALL WE LOVE? = death! As my friend Stryfe said, "she could seduce a rock". She's a very attractive performer: she moves well, she has a great smile and sparkling eyes, and she sings well enough (even if she might be one of the weaker vocalists in Eggs. It's hard to tell sometimes). Her hair is great, too, and adds to her attractiveness. She has definitely become one of my favourite Eggs. Very charismatic.

Komine Momoka

Last time I wasn't that impressed with her on stage, but I think she has improved and, at least, is trying her best. She seems like such a normal girl that it's really easy to like her. Her tone of voice doesn't stand out that much, but she sings well enough. I don't find her particularly charismatic, but she still caught my attention now and then in the Shiba concert. So I suppose that she's still a member whom I like for no obvious reason...

Mori Saki
She might be one of my least favourite vocalists among the Eggs (just because it doesn't sound like her voice flows freely - I don't really know how to explain, but it sounds weird). However, I like her personality. She's still a weirdo who tries hard to be a good idol, just like I've previously thought. She didn't stand out to me that much this time, though. Maybe when I watch the concert for the 3rd time.

Ogawa Saki
Little Sakichy is still an impressive performer for someone her age (12), but sometimes the push she gets feels a bit redundant. I guess I'm just bothered that she got pretty much the same lines in Osaka Koi no Uta as last time when they could've shuffled it or even had another song. Osaka Koi no Uta was one of the best performances in the first new face concert. In this one, at least during the first viewing, it was one of the least exciting ones (but I did like it better watching it for the 2nd time). It's a bit horrible, but I feel like I'm already getting bored of her. I guess still, after over a year, I don't understand why she is the one being promoted so hard... I think I will only understand why once she is actually put into a group or turned into a solo act. Seeing her in that different kind of context, promoting her own songs, might do the trick.

Kitahara Sayaka
I feel like I've made some wrong predictions when I've called Saya one of the 'beauty Eggs' in the past. Maybe it's the teeth, maybe it's the shorter hair, but her looks aren't that special to me right now. However, her character has impressed me - she seems to have a gutsy, tomboyish personality, also evident in her role in Kirarin. Her voice stands out a lot. It's quite "raw" and strong and you can usually distinguish it even if there were several people singing. I think her singing needs more control, but if she succeeds in that, she'll be fun to listen to in the future. Oh, and she has killer abs.

Kikkawa Yuu
Definitely one of the best singers among Eggs who has improved her performing in general, too. Earlier I've felt a bit iffy about her, but I think I'm finally starting to like her and notice her presence. She's not really a 'happy happy joy joy' girl like most of the rest, which should be taken into consideration. Strangely enough, she has felt a bit like an outsider to me when it comes to Eggs. Maybe it's because she auditioned for Morning Musume, I don't know. But it helped to see her smile and perform with Sekine in this concert. I'm also grateful for every Egg who's over 16 years old, HEH.

Maeda Yuuka

This is not a serious post, so please don't take it seriously. :3

I don't know if it was the same everywhere for H!P fandom, but at least at the places I hang out at, a fun period seemed to be when the three 6th gen members Eri, Sayu and Reina weren't 18 yet, and everyone seemed to be looking forward to their birthdays and having fun counting down to the days when they'd be 'legal' by western standards (the ones widely used on the Internet). You know, a harmless bit of fun. But for a while it's been pretty quiet, hasn't it? Seems like there haven't been any exciting 18th birthdays for a good while. However, fear not! There are currently quite a few sweet sixteens/seventeens that should make the next year or two either fun or agonizing (depending on how you view it).

(I guess I should mention that at my home forum, it's against the rules to say pervy things about H!P members under the age of 18. That's why fans have to wait until the 18th bd to open their floodgates, which makes for some hilarious 18th birthday parties...)

So here it is, the best of "not a giiiiirl, not yet a wooomaaan" in Hello! Project/TNX!

Aina0080

Aina Hashimoto (The Possible)
Age: 16

What makes Hashimon stand out? Well, besides the cute singing voice... her chest. If you haven't noticed the size of it (especially if you've seen her bikini pictures), you must be blind. By Japanese standards, she is very well endowed. There's no way around it. Doesn't help that much like Yui Okada of ex-Viyuden, she is not afraid of showing off her goods. However, if it wasn't for her chest I wouldn't be including her here... So I suppose I'm mentioning in my opinion the least exciting one first. But I can see her becoming a valuable bikini-idol for TNX.

Miya2479

Miyabi Natsuyaki (Berryz Kobo)
Age: 16

Miyabi has really become increasingly attractive as time has gone by. She has always been a cool type of girl, but it seems to have evolved into something more. She's dangerous now, definitely someone to keep an eye on! I hope there won't be any more stalking scandals before she actually turns 18... And I hope that she keeps having awesome hairstyles. I think she also benefits from being in Buono! because of their awesome outfits (hotpants, short skirts, rock/punk-inspired clothes, and what fangirl can forget her once being dressed in a suit all handsome).

135582

Koharu Kusumi (Morning Musume)
Age: 16

Most of the time Koharu is her goofy ol' self, but when she tries to be cool and mature, I'd say she can pull it off. Because of this I expect more and more people to add her 18th birthday on their list of birthdays to look forward to. Heh.

Sengokuu0029

Minami Sengoku (H!P Egg; Ongaku Gatas)
Age: 17

There's no way she wouldn't make this list. Sengoku has a very flirty air about her, especially on stage... But I think her eyes have that special sparkle even when she's interviewed, appears in backstage videos and such. A combination of those wicked eyes, a great smile and great hair, and you get a dangerously attractive little package. I can't wait until I can start shamelessly converting more guys to become her fans. I've already had some success, but it's not enough!

Emwh2008_034

Erina Mano (solo)
Age: 17

I actually don't find anything but extreme cuteness in this girl. So while I wouldn't be excited about her 18th birthday, I can imagine that some guys might be. The thing is, because of her air of innocence and inexperience as a performer, even if her birthday is only 6 months away she seems more 'loli' type to me than the others I've mentioned... And as a result she'd not cater for the taste of the guys that I'm friends with. But to anyone who likes the innocent type, she'd be perfect... So I suppose I'll throw her in here anyway.

Maimi2405

Maimi Yajima (C-ute)
Age: 16

Maimi has a lot of things going for her. She's one of the all-time prettiest Hello! Project members, she looks good in a swimsuit, she can dance her butt off and looks good in hotpants. And all this while having a sweet personality, too. I'm not surprised to hear from guys who have fallen for her, but I think in two years it'll be even better (assuming she'll still be out there). Definitely one of the girls to look forward to.





So these are the girls I chose to feature, but among Berryz, C-ute, H!P Eggs, SINA and The Possible, there are also several others aged 16-17:

Maasa Sudo (16), Konatsu Furukawa (16), Erika Umeda (17), Chinami Tokunaga (16), Yuu Kikkawa (16), Kaede Oose (17), Anri Tanaka (17), Ai Suma (16), Nana Nakayama (16), Linlin (17), Momoko Tsugunaga (16), Yuri Sawada (16), Saki Shimizu (16), Yurika Akiyama (16)...

I only chose the ones who I can see attracting the most attention in this regard. For example, Momo is one of my favourite members, but she is so "never-changing" that I don't really see any guy having a field party over her 18th birthday. Heh.

I return from the dead to wonder about the Hello! Project audition in Taiwan. I'm quite shocked that the entire audition process seems to have got almost zero attention by the English-speaking fan community. Sure, it made news headlines when it was announced, and now that the winners have been chosen, there have been a couple of blog entries revealing the winners. But for example, at my home forum, nobody ever mentioned that there's an actual television show in Taiwan for the audition. I only found out two days ago when I found pictures of the winners at a Japanese site! I looked up the show on youtube/tudou and spent the entire weekend catching up on the show.

I guess the lack of interest on the audition show is what's shocking to me. Here we basically get a Taiwanese version of Asayan and nobody's interested? What the heck? Isn't this kind of juicy audition drama what everyone's been missing? Or is it just not good enough because it's in Chinese? I don't understand a word of Chinese (well, I understand 'thank you', but that is literally everything), but watching these girls perform needs no translation. It actually reminded me of when I first got into Hello! Project and didn't understand a word of Japanese. Regardless of the language barrier, the personalities and cuteness of the girls stood out to me back then... And the same happened with these girls from Taiwan. Ah, I don't know... Are foreign H!P fans getting lazy? Or maybe just the majority of fans in general aren't interested in auditions... But I've always loved them, so I guess that's why I don't understand why there have been so few reports on this.

Anyway, I'd love to babble about the girls who won the audition, but I haven't found trustworthy romaji versions of their names (if anyone can read Chinese, I'd very much appreciate them). The Stardust H!P blog had some names, but the blogger was unsure of them herself/himself... So until reliable versions come up, I guess I'll refer to them with the nicknames that I've given to them. Heh.

  First, "Sayulite" (her nickname given on the show seems to be Lightbulb). She was my favourite from the moment she first walked on stage. I nicknamed her Sayulite because some of her expressions reminded me of Sayumi from Morning Musume. When interviewed, she seems lost in her own world and it takes a while for her to come up with a reply... And her replies seem to be strange/funny, since everyone cracks up at them. Even I get amused and I don't even know what she's saying. Her character is definitely what I first loved about her... But later on, she also turned out to be quite a decent singer (in H!P standards) with a cute voice, and she can play the piano, as well. Not to mention that her Japanese pronunciation is pretty good, and she is attractive. This girl is definitely someone I want to see more of in the future!

If you want to see Lightbulb for yourself, you might like to check this youtube link. :D

"Risalite" (guess where the nickname came from)... She is extremely cute, can dance sexily, has a hot body and a great smile... But despite all these physical advantages, the reason why she got my attention was because she actually has quite a good singing voice! In H!P standards, very good, actually. I just hope that her hair will be changed in the future, because right now she reminds me too much of Risa, and it's not good for idols to look that similar in my humble opinion.

"Umedalite" (...Erika Umeda of C-ute. She doesn't really look like her, but she did in her winner picture). This girl can't sing to save her life... But she seems to be fun enough and I quite like her looks, even if she seems to look completely different on different days! (Just look at the three pics above.) I like her much more after going through her picture album. What can I say, I'm easy to please.

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"Minimoni" (thanks to some of her childish/weird outfits <3). Dear lord, I did not recognize the girl from this picture in the show for AGES (actually, the same happened with Umedalite and even Sayulite, maybe it was the youtube video quality but I was so lost). When I realized that this girl was one of the winners, I was quite happy simply because she's one of the girls who stood out to me instantly. Her dancing is very good, even if some of her moves were too mature for her age in my opinion... But it's not like they'll make her floor-hump the first thing in H!P, so it's okay. And she was in my opinion much cuter on the show than in this picture, even if this pic isn't bad, either. I don't believe I've ever heard her sing so no comment on that. But I think she's a good little idol package.

The two "where did they come from?" girls. They actually weren't featured on the audition show at all that I know of, only the final when Tsunku revealed the winners. Even then they didn't get a chance to speak, even if they were holding mics. Anyway, the funny thing about these two girls is that before finding out about the show, and only having seen pictures of the six winners, these two were the girls that I picked as my favourites based on looks. And both of them turned out to be some pre-selected or randomly dug out girls. How weird is that? I believe I chose these girls based on the pics because I thought they were cute, but not in a similar way to any previous H!P members. All the other girls reminded me of someone already in H!P (except Minimoni, who just generally looked like she could be in H!P Eggs). So I thought that lookswise, these two would bring something new to Hello! Project. Yup.

All in all, I'm happy with Tsunku's choices and will probably try to support these girls in the future, if I can only afford it. I also really enjoyed watching the auditions... Some of the performances were legendary, from their awfulness (unicycling girl singing Ayaya horribly) to their greatness (there was some impressive dancing in there). I do recommend watching this show to anyone who has the time and likes cute girls.

The show's name in Chinese: 早安家族New Star

I couldn't think of a theme for a new post, but then I realized that the year's about to end. Of course it's time to hand out some awards!

Music
Best music discovery - F.I.R., a Taiwanese rock band with beautiful female vocals and strong ballads
Best music rediscovery - Yaida Hitomi, a Japanese female artist with joyful pop-rock songs and a unique voice
Best new group of the year - So Nyuh Shi Dae, a Korean pop girlgroup with 9 talented and crazy members
Best SNSD member of the year - Jessica (I only made this category so that I'd get to name her, so nevermind me. Any Asian pop idol who can quote Shakespeare deserves an award)

Hello! Project
Best Hello! Project single - Egao YES! Nude. Restored my faith in Morning Musume's singles; a catchy tune with sexy lyrics and a sexy video (even if not all the members are sexy)
Best new Hello! Project group - Ongaku Gatas, a group that combines past talent and cuteness with future talent and cuteness, in members such as Ishikawa Rika and Mano Erina. This group makes me smile
Best Hello! Project Egg - Ogawa Saki. She isn't my favourite Egg, but has convinced me/changed my opinion about her the most during the year. At the beginning of the year I thought she was a cute kid, but nothing special; now I know that she's a pretty good singer (in H!P terms) and performer for such a young little girl, and incredibly cute. She's charming and definitely someone to pay attention to, if she chooses to stay in this business
Best Berryz Kobo member - Natsuyaki Miyabi. Again, not my favourite member (my favourite is Momoko), but Miyabi is the member I started liking more than before the most, if that makes sense. Suddenly she was more charismatic to me than before (even if some people have said the opposite), and I became more interested in her
Best Morning Musume member - Kusumi Koharu. I'm feeling her miracle power, and she's the only Morning Musume member who has really fascinated me during the past year. I wanted Linlin to be that, but since I haven't watched any Momusu videos at all (except for some PVs and performances), it's hard for me to get to know the new members.
Best DVD release of the year - The shinjin kouen DVD, featuring Momusu 8th gen, Kanna, THE Possible and H!P Eggs. I'm a H!P Egg fan, so naturally this was something I was really excited to see, and I've actually watched this concert more than once (I usually don't do that).

Movies
*these aren't movies that were released this year, since I don't go to movies
Best psychological thriller - A Tale of Two Sisters. A Korean mindfuck movie, which I recommend to anyone who likes the genre
Best action movie - Infernal Affairs - actually, I don't know if this counts as an action movie, but it's a great movie in any case. Chinese, made me fall for Tony Leung
Best drama movie - Mezon do Himiko. Not too serious, has some hilarious moments, as well... But still touching, and has Shibasaki Kou

Television
Best new series (in Finland) - Dexter. A delightfully disturbing series about a serial killer who works for the police. Every episode was brilliant to me, which can't be said for every series I watch
Best continuing series (in Finland) - Lost. Yes, I be loyal to a series that I can say I'm a real fan of, since I've actually even bought the seasons on DVD. Every new season of Lost is at first difficult for me to follow, but after a few episodes the show starts to feel just as exciting as ever.
Best finished series (in Finland) - HBO's OZ. Yup, I watched the whole series as late Monday night reruns on Finnish TV, and it finished some time this fall. Hands down one of the best series I've ever seen. Great cast, great storylines, never a boring episode. There were some events in the show that I didn't like, but it just made me think "well, it's Oz. Shit happens." I'm happy that not everybody I liked died. lol
Best hospital series - Grey's Anatomy (3rd season). Just because it's the hospital series I watched the most. I think some of the storylines are a bit... Out there (like Meredith's afterlife experiences), but it's still an enjoyable series with some fun moments and good drama. I love Addison! I hope her spin-off series will be aired here, too. I've heard some bad things about Grey's 4th season, anyway.
Best new TV actress crush - Elizabeth Mitchell/Juliet from Lost. I was so convinced that I wouldn't fall for her, but I did. She's amazing.
Best new TV actor crush - Henry Ian Cusick/Desmond from Lost. He's hot (especially the accent).
Best reality series - Survivor: China. Actually, I haven't finished watching it, but I know who won and all. Some great casting and the most likeable final two ever (at least in my opinion). A pretty good season of Survivor, if I may say.
Best Survivor contestant - Courtney. Not because she 'played the best', but because she had the shiniest personality. She was absolutely hilarious and I just hope that I'll see her again one day in something. It's weird how she seemed to be both bitchy and loveable. Brutally honest, but in a funny way. Oh and she's very cute ^__^
Best Big Brother contestant - Nicky from BBUK. Not that many choices this year, to be honest, what a crappy year for Big Brother. Anyway, Nicky because she was so serious and unfunny that it actually made her funny. I found her rather adorable because of it, too. I don't think she deserved the boos that she got when she left the house. Then again, those vile beasts boo at anyone these days, it's just not special anymore.
Best America's Next Top Model contestant - Heather, both for looks and entertainment. I love her type of beauty, I love it that she's a geek, I love it that she's socially awkward but takes gorgeous pictures. But she also offered some of the funniest confessionals/narrational parts in the show. So shamelessly Heather, I love her. Heather was the star of Cycle 9 for me, no doubt.

Idols, celebrities
Best gravure discovery - Sugimoto Yumi. Cute dimples, gorgeous face, great body, needs more bum shots
Hottest Korean pretty boy of the year - G-Dragon from Big Bang, though maybe it's unfair to give an award to someone I first saw in late November (or was it early December) this year...
Most beautiful Japanese actress - Shibasaki Kou, and yes, I only made this category for her
Most beautiful western actress - Evangeline Lilly; love her eyes, freckles and smile
Best personality in a western actress - Kristen Bell. I've found out that she's a lot of fun and kind of crazy. Loving it. It makes me want to see more of her, in acting, behind the screen, photos, anything

Entertainment
Most addictive PC game - The Sims 2. See the family tree of my favourite family below
Most addictive PS2 game - Final Fantasy X. Yes, I'm late...
Best novel - The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot; I have to say this one because it made me cry twice, heh.

Famtree

I would've added more pictures, but this post is already long and it would take a LOT of time.. Spare me...

Firstly, I need to give props to the younger members of H!P, especially Eggs and especially little Saki Ogawa. Why?

Well, last week I watched some old Tenavatähti videos on Youtube. Tenavatähti was a Finnish singing competition for kids in the early 90's. And oh boy... When I saw how awkward those children on stage were (and most of their singing was nothing special, either), I realized how talented our little H!P darlings are. People like Mai Hagiwara (not an Egg, but very very young and talented), Saki Ogawa, Kanon Fukuda and many others, are pretty damn awesome for their age.

Of course a whole other story are extraordinarily talented children, like the 11-year-old girl who participated in America's Got Talent and blew people away with her vocals. H!P members aren't this kind of people so it's unfair to compare them to them. However, compared to "normal" singing kids who have maybe sung a few solos in a choir and taken part in some local singing competition, the young H!P members to me show much more natural talent in stage charisma and things like that. Heck, I remember the girls who sang solos in my choir when I was a kid, and their singing wasn't that much better than the H!P kids, yet they were considered "good singers" by our teachers and other people. So it just seems like I've forgotten what is considered "good singing" for children after watching too many western idol singing competitions.

And Saki Ogawa hasn't even turned 11, but is doing a pretty convincing job on stage. Of course you can tell that she's still young and there's a lot of room for improvement, but man. Earlier I didn't understand why Saki was getting the push that she is, because I guess in my mind I was comparing her to people it was unfair to compare her to (such as previous and current Momusu aces). But watching those old Tenavatähti videos really put things into perspective for me. I see her in a completely different light now, and look forward to everything she'll do in the future!

Then for the second part of this post:

H!P fans have always said how Hello! Project is going downhill, blah blah yadiyada. But has anyone actually noticed that 2007 has been a pretty fucking awesome year so far? (Sorry for the swear word, but I felt it was appropriate here)

Some reasons why this year has rocked:

• Junjun and Linlin joined Morning Musume. Don't know about you guys, but I love them
• Ongaku Gatas was formed. This unit is like a dream come true, not just to me as a H!P Egg and Rika fan, but also to anyone who wanted to see Konno back, and Yossi have a singing career after graduating from MM
  
• Morning Musume has released three good singles in a row this year: Egao YES! Nude, Kanashimi Twilight and Onna ni sachi are. I also like the preview of Mikan I've heard, so for me it will be 4 good singles in a row. (But I understand that because Mikan is a joyful song, not everyone might like it as much as the "cool" and mature previous songs)
  
• Buono! was formed. I haven't paid a lot of attention to this unit, but after watching their PV I realize how awesome it is. It's basically the three aces of the younger generation. And hey, I love Miyabi and Momoko
  
• C-ute has been selling pretty darn well, and released (to me) their best major single so far, which is Tokaikko Junjou
  
• Koharu has continued to sell well
• To me personally, the fact that H!P Eggs have been able to do much more and have their own concerts has been very important, very rewarding, and an endless source of joy

Concentrating on faces, here are the members I find exceptionally cute. Note that these aren't my favourite members really, but just faces that I find especially cute. I thought about writing about exceptional beauties and otherwise special faces, too (because there are people whose look I really like, but can't really put my finger on whether they're cute, pretty or what).

But enough blabber, time to get started!

Risako Sugaya

Goofy-looking ears, her somewhat wide nose and cute little eyes are what make her adorable. Her smile can look awkward, which actually makes her even cuter. However, she can look older than her age, so I suppose with time she'll switch from natural cuties category to the natural beauties one. But either way she has a face that stands out.

Kanna Arihara

Kanna is a monkey girl. Her face is kind of weird, but totally adorable. What rocks about her especially are her big ears. She still looks "raw" compared to the other C-ute members, for example, but her cuteness is still strong.

Erina Mano (H!P Egg)

Erina has a very soft look about her. Very adorable. I guess it's because of her round nose, her eyes that look very kind, and her round cheeks. She looks like the kind of girl who would never hurt a fly, if that makes sense. Some people say she looks like Reina Tanaka, but I don't see that at all. Reina's features to me are very "sharp", whereas everything about Erina looks... round and soft. What they both have in common is a cute nose.

Kanon Fukuda (H!P Egg)

Kanon's one of the cutest kids I've ever seen. I decided to post blog pictures of her because her blog is where I've learned to know her cuteness. Hmmm her tiny little button eyes are so cute, and she can do the cute duck mouth thing :3. Just simply adorable.

Saki Ogawa (H!P Egg)

Well, when I first saw her I thought she looked kind of weird. But these days, she's absolutely adorable. A cute little face. Can't really point out what makes her cute, though.

Sayaka Kitahara (H!P Egg)

I was at first unsure whether to post about her in cuteness or beauty post, but I decided to go for cuteness. I just find her eyes adorable. She really does stand out among other H!P Eggs, I think. I've seen people who don't give a damn about Eggs commenting on her beauty. But yeah, her eyes are special.

I'm way too lazy to write the kind of entry I had planned at first, so here are just some reasons why I'm into Hello! Project.

• Music
• Personalities
• Looks
• Cuteness
• Misc
• Favourite members
  

I like H!P's music because in general it's upbeat, catchy pop music sung in Japanese. That's all there is to say, really. I'll leave deeper analysis of the music to people who'd actually know what they're talking about...

Personalities in Hello! Project are important to me. My favourite members are people who aren't afraid to be goofy on camera, aren't afraid to embarrass themselves a bit to bring entertainment to others. My favourites aren't in general the best at telling jokes, but instead the humour (or cuteness) results from how 'bad' the jokes are, how they tell the jokes and how they expect people to find them funny. Their reactions to all kinds of things are also usually exaggerated, which makes them entertaining. This kind of outgoing humorous characteristic is what makes some members likeable to me.

Then I also find those members likeable who appear very empathic, friendly and reliable, or seem to be good teachers to the younger members. Basically members who seem warm-hearted. I like members who show their emotions, whether it's laughing or crying. It's difficult to find honesty in idols who grow in front of cameras and learn to follow certain behavioural patterns in the public eye, but I believe that there are also times when you see an honest reaction from the girls. Sometimes the laughter or tears are real, and so on. At those times, being able to connect with the member is very rewarding.

What I personally find extra respectable in H!P members is if they show interest in the world around them. I'm not expecting them to be super knowledgeable, but if they express wishes like "I'd like to learn to speak Korean" or "I'd like to visit Europe", it makes me feel good. I guess it's because I love learning languages myself and am interested in travelling and different cultures. H!P members don't really mention things like these too often, so when they do, it makes me happy.

What I also appreciate in H!P members is ambition and hard work. Some members obviously work harder than others and when I see someone really aiming high, I like to give them props for that. On the other hand, if I feel someone could do better, I feel disappointed and may like the member a bit less because of it.

So these were all some bits and pieces of personalities that I like in H!P members.

When it comes to looks, there are some members I like because they are cute, some because they are pretty/beautiful, and some because they are cute, pretty and sexy (to me if someone isn't cute, they can't really be sexy, either, because for me to be really attracted to someone they need to be able to soften me with their cuteness as well. My favourite member Natsumi Abe is a great example of this). My top favourite members either have all these three qualities looks-wise or are close to this; an exception is Momoko Tsugunaga who is mostly there thanks to her hyper camwhore personality and her weird, high voice. Momoko is cute, but her looks were never really the reason why I started liking her. Anyway, looks are an important reason why I'm into H!P and I'm not going to deny it. I find the majority of H!P to be cute and/or pretty girls and women.

Whether looks, personality, voice or all of these, cuteness is what H!P is about. Cute Japanese girls singing cute songs. Well, lately the songs haven't been too cute, but the girls still are. It also seems like a lot of cute-voiced girls are making it to Hello! Project instead of girls with a deeper, maturer voice. Anyway, I'll admit I love everything cute and that's a big reason of why I love H!P.

Some misc reasons to love H!P... For someone who is as lifeless as me H!P is a great fandom because it's just so damn big and it's been around for 10 years. There's always something to talk about, whether new, old, or comparing the two. I think this year H!P has also picked up on releasing exciting singles/PBs/DVDs because I've recently felt like there's always something to look forward to. There's no time to get bored, really. Especially if you're very hardcore and try to watch everything. I've given up on that a long time ago, but some still do it and I can understand it.

There's one thing about H!P fandom that just came to my mind: the battle of old VS. new. What I've perceived is that the majority of foreign fans are to a large extent living in the past. The "things were better when...." attitude is everywhere. Everyone's wishing for the old H!P groups/members etc. to come back. I suppose this is where I differ from several fans. I like the way H!P is now, I support all the new groups and members. I like Berryz Kobo, C-ute, H!P Eggs and THE Possible. I like Ayaya better in GAM than solo because she was never enough to interest me by herself. I like it that Momusu's going to have two Chinese members for at least some time. I like it that Yossi's graduating and Momusu will be testing their wings lacking all golden era members. I like the current Morning Musume line-up. What I miss from the past are stable subgroups (but I'd like new groups, not the old Tanpopo or Pucchimoni or whatever), shuffles each year and Sports Festival (which could still take place this year, but who knows, maybe it's in the past now). However, I do still respect the old school members a lot, I do like a lot of things in the past - but I don't think they would work in the current Hello! Project and Tsunku's not stupid, he can see it, too.

What I do find funny is how H!P has become so obviously sexier recently. They had a sexy image at times earlier as well, but... For example, when I became a fan, finding a Nacchi pic with cleavage was like finding a needle in a hay stack. She had only worn bikini for MM's very, very early photo shoots and then for Momusu's Alo-Hello 2003, and those were literally the only times you could see that much of her skin. Now she reveals her beautiful shoulders and cleavage area almost more often than not. I'm not complaining because it's very sexy and she's a sexy young woman. But it is funny how the difference is so obvious. If I had even imagined in 2004 Maki doing what she does in her singles now, I would've probably thought "lol I'm crazy, that will never happen". Ch-ch-ch-changes~~

Ok, I almost started writing about my favourite members, but then I realized I'll still write about many of them on my Momusu Focus entries. So instead I guess I should just finally stop here. Wah, what a horrendous entry.

I was watching the dance shot version of Elegies' "Inshouha Renoir no you ni" and I decided to make a post of my favourite Hello!Project dance shot PVs.

Quick info section: PV = promotional video = music video. Several H!P PVs have dance shot versions that can be purchased on single Vs = DVDs that usually include the PV, an alternative version of the PV, and a making of. The alternative version can be pretty much anything, but most of the time it's either a dance shot or close-up version of the video. Dance shot means exactly what it sounds like: it focuses on the dance part of the video. Often great for learning the choreography for someone who wants to try that.

Too bad after starting the post I realized I had little to actually say about the PVs (especially because I don't even have some of them anymore, so I couldn't rewatch them!)... Instead I'll just make a list this time, not in any special order, though. Just a random list of the ones I enjoy or have enjoyed watching over and over again.

Uwasad5

Ayawild

Elegies - Inshouha Renoir no you ni (Dance Shot)

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Berryz Kobo - Jiriri Kiteru (Dance Shot)

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Berryz Kobo - GAG 100kai bun aishite kudasai (Dance Version)

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Morning Musume - Iroppoi jirettai (Dance Shot)

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Ta-dah, the list is ready... The choreography in the first two videos is quite simple, I guess. They're mostly my favourites because they're personal classics (I no longer have either video, though) and hot. I'm still not the biggest Aya fan, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy watching her when she's being attractive. The Elegies PV is my current crack. I've watched it about 10 times in the last two days. I rarely watch any video more than once or twice so yes, ten is a lot. Jiriri Kiteru has one of the best H!P choreographies ever - it's so COOL. GAG 100kai has a funny and cute choreography that would be fun to learn. Iroppoi has its weak moments, but overall it's a pretty cool and sexy choreography.

I love it when Berryz and Momusu have complex choreographies because it's like watching a huge puzzle break into pieces and then come back together again in perfect order, over and over again. (The puzzle breaking is the part where everyone quickly finds their new place in the choreography, shuffling their positions.) It's like controlled chaos sometimes, hehe.

I recently realized that my favourite members in Hello!Project have changed quite a bit during the last few months, so I thought I'd write a sum up of the changes and my reasonings for them. Everything in this post will be biased because all favourite opinions are.

First of all, my #1 favourite has stayed the same, of course. That's Natsumi Abe. To be honest, I haven't been paying attention to her as much as I used to and I think plenty of other H!P fans have heard Amasugita kajitsu (Nacchi's latest single) more times than me. That doesn't mean she's still not my favourite, though. I'm definitely a loyal fan, it's just that sometimes I can't keep focusing on one thing too much or I'll get terribly bored. I'm not talking about just fandoms here, but my attitude towards pretty much anything in life. Anyway, Nacchi is still love, even if I've been taking a bit of a break.

There are two other girls who were in my top 3 favourites for a long time, but now they've been slipping a bit. Maki Goto and Miki Fujimoto. Miki's actually "more safe" than Maki, as I still actually see her sometimes and remember why I like her. Her voice is still awesome, too. What Miki has been suffering from a bit for me is GAM - hey I like lesbian undertones, too, but somehow I haven't had as much interest in this unit as the majority of fans seems to, and I must admit I was never the biggest Ayaya fan. (I don't really have anything against her. I listen to her old, upbeat songs all the time... I just don't connect with her at all, so I find it hard to be interested in her.) Still, Miki has a good chance of staying in the top 5.

Maki, even if her latest two PVs were sexy and all... Ok, to be brutally honest, I think the bigger her breasts got, the more I lost interest in her. I don't really care how or why her breasts got boosted, but I don't like the results or the image that came with it. Well, I can't really say I don't like the sexy image, I think it suits Maki. But it's just that I wish she had done it with her old boobs. It's such a shame because I really used to find Maki a humble, hard-working, lovely girl, but it's hard to look through the sexy image and breast-groping and see that the girl is still in there somewhere. I'm sure her fans can do that, but I don't really have the time or the patience. I'm sorry. I still like her and wish her all the best, but I just don't think she'll rise back to my top 5 again.

(Damn, I didn't like writing that and I guess it comes as a surprise to some of my friends, but I couldn't keep hiding it forever.)

Let's talk about my favourites in units, then. The good thing about my favourites changing in units is that 99% of the time the changes are because I start liking someone else more, not because I start disliking someone. Basically, yay, I don't need to bash anyone!

Let's see.
My old favourites in C-ute: Megumi, Kanna, Maimi
My current favourites in C-ute: Chisato, Saki, Erika
A complete shift! Well, Megumi left, so no surprise there. I also think my favourites in C-ute will change more frequently than my favourites in any other unit, simply because they're quite equal.

Chisato Okai's singing is what has been impressing me lately. It's not that she's the best singer ever or anything, but she's just much better than I would've ever expected. (Afterall, she was one of those H!P Kids who never got lines in any songs.) She gets cuter each day. Most importantly, she just seems so genuine, like a "what you see is what you get" type of girl. That might have something to do with her young age, but it's a charming quality to have regardless. She's somewhat tomboy-ish and very unpolished ("raw"), yet adorable. Her smile looks so genuinely happy I can't help but feel good when I see it, too.

As for Saki Nakajima, I used to wonder why she's in H!P to begin with as she never really did anything and she wasn't even all that cute. However, I started liking her more after seeing her in HPH. Her duck voice is something very weird and cute, and she also handled being interviewed by a senpai pretty well. I was impressed. I just also keep finding her cuter and cuter, and I want to hug her and steal her away whenever I see her. To me she's adorable even if you can't see it instantly. I just want to look after her like a little sister.

Erika Umeda is a surprise even to myself. She used to be so close to the very bottom of my all H!P ranking... Recently Erika has suddenly grown very pretty so I keep paying more attention to her. I guess she has been overlooked by many because there was a period when she looked even kind of scary (not to be rude or anything, a part of it was simply because she was so tall). Her voice is very cute and her singing is alright, too. I feel like re-watching old C-ute videos and giving her more attention as I feel like I have been missing out on something here (well, the same thing goes for Chisato and Saki). Sometimes her eyes seem to have a lot of kindness in them and she does seem like a sweet girl.

In sum, my current C-ute favourites are girls I really feel for. They're underdogs, but I think in C-ute the members are still quite equal when it comes to popularity (except for Airi). Megumi was also popular, but she's gone. It will be interesting to see who will try to take her place.

My old favourites in Morning Musume: Miki, Risa??? (I can't even remember...)
My current favourites in Morning Musume: Eri, Miki, Aichan, Koharu
I think at some point I simply realized I really liked Eri Kamei's voice. (I can't remember when or why this happened, though.) From then on I started to enjoy her cuteness and personality, as well. Besides, she looks pretty damn good in a bikini. She needs to work on her tummy a bit more, but if she does that, she may be the 2nd bikini queen after Rika. She has a really nice figure and I need to give her props about it, since there aren't too many girls in H!P who look great in bikinis. I seem to be pickier than most guys about this... Anyway, she's a hyper, weird girl whom I'd love to see shine even more, but seems like she just doesn't have the lead quality about her. Still, she's a girl who's fun to watch.

I talked about Miki before, so I'll skip straight to Aichan. Ai Takahashi is someone who often is an invisible member to me - there are periods when I like her a bit more, but then I forget about her. Well, now is one of those periods when I like her a bit more again. I think out of all the current Momusu members Aichan is the most mysterious one. Her way of thinking just seems to be so different from others, it's somewhat fascinating. I can sympathize with her inability to sometimes get a word out of her mouth. At the same time she can be very charming. I think she's very honest, even if her job requires acting and faking to some extent... With honesty I mean the "what you see is what you get" quality. Also, the biggest reason for liking her to me seems to be her charisma on camera and on stage. I rewatched Osaka koi no uta PV a while ago and she does have lots of sex appeal (even if I don't personally have hots for her). You can often see that sex appeal in concerts, too. And these are the reasons why I like her.

Koharu Kusumi is simply adorably excited about everything and anything. She does everything with a goofy smile on her face and with lots of hyper energy. There's just this childish happiness aspect about her that makes her so likeable to me - she seems like someone who completely ignores the fact that the world is an evil place where there are wars and illnesses. Koharu looks genuinely happy to do what she does, and also pretty damn cute. Despite her lack of singing skills and such, I think she has really earned her place in Momusu.

There's still one unit left....
My old favourites in Berryz Kobo: Momoko, Yurina, Miyabi
My current favourites in Berryz Kobo: Momoko, Chinami, Yurina, Maasa
Momoko Tsugunaga's still number one. Two words: Pro sugar.

I like Chinami Tokunaga more now because I've realized how entertaining she is. She can be quite funny indeed. Also, a long time ago there was some rivalry to be sensed between her and Momoko, and recently Chinami has steadily got her one solo line in each Berryz single. I think Chinami might actually have a competitive characteristic about her that might save Berryz Kobo one day. Fans have speculated that one reason why Morning Musume is so boring now is that there is no rivalry, but everyone's just happy where they are and aren't trying to outshine each other. So if what I think about Chinami is right, she (with the help of Momoko and others) might be a secret reason for why Berryz Kobo at least to me has more interesting chemistry than MM at the moment.

Yurina Kumai was always likeable to me for somewhat unknown reasons. I like her voice, she's very pretty for her young age, but there must be some other reason why I like her, too. I guess she's just simply very sweet and "harmless", someone I'd love to spend a quiet day with just walking around and having ice cream or something. She has some kind of soothing quality about her, I guess. Really easy-going. She doesn't really stand out a lot personality-wise, but she's still the kind of character that's good to have around. Also, I've been impressed to notice she has developed a lot as a performer in 2006.

Maasa Sudo is also someone I like for her personality. She's the ultimate underdog in Berryz Kobo, since she doesn't do a whole lot in performances and songs (even Saki does more than her). But just like Chinami and Momoko she can be quite entertaining and funny. I also think that despite her boyish figure (tall, wide shoulders) she is quite pretty and might one day surprise us all by truly blooming - not that it will help her to become a lead member, but it would be fun to see, anyway.

Ok. I've spent a lot of time writing this and I think I can finally wrap it up. Favourites change, blah blah, blah blah. I hope I didn't upset anyone with anything I wrote, especially about Maki. If I did... Well, I also have a right to my opinion and a right to write it down here, so yeah. I love Hello!Project!!