4 posts tagged “c-ute”

Huh? A beard?

You know, I did ask for inappropriate pics with Kanna, but this isn't what I had in mind. Is it too soon to dub her the "Tila Tequila of JPop"? When would be the right time?

I'll be honest with you, I don't really seem to care about this relationship. I've made no secret of the fact that I don't really like Kanna, but in spite of that I still hope they don't kick her out, or punish her in any way really. I would like to see the absurd "no boyfriends" rule go away, so that when Okai gets a boyfriend (or gets caught with her current beau) it isn't viewed as a big deal. Then again, if Kanna gets kicked to the curb I'm sure that would mean a few more solo lines tossed Chisato's way... This is a tough choice... Unfortunately, I am not in charge of these decisions. If I were, there would've been no Kanna in the first place, which retroactively shows my good judgment. Do you think that would be enough to get a job as C-ute's manager? Probably not, huh?

Oh well. Good luck to the couple I guess. I think the guy is pretty lucky, I mean, scoring a chick whose one talent is "my body is flexible" and who doesn't seem completely adverse to the basic premise of a three-way, namely, another girl. Shit, if I could get that I'd be willing to overlook a lot of things. Blood sacrifices to Baal? That's cool with me, if you're willing to call up some of your more open minded girlfriends. Well, maybe I'm the only one that thinks like that, but I seriously doubt it.

Anyway, if this is a world where Tsunku♂ can get married (to a woman) and have kids, then I guess anything is possible.

*Yawn* Wake me when she's pregnant.

So the next Berryz Koubou single has hit the radio and I thought I'd share some of the thoughts it spawned in me.

1. Obligatory: "Yuke! Yuke! Monkey Dance? Does Takahashi Ai really need her own theme song? Isn't that what every Morning Musume single is for?"

2. Needs more Momoko.
___________

The thing about this song is that it reminds me of Dschingis Khan a lot. It isn't that it sounds the same, it is clearly a different song. Rather, it is that this is the same type of peepy, voice distorted, Risako shouting key lines into the microphone style of music. Its the same kind of animal; one after another. Are all future Berryz singles going to be like this? Are we never going to get another Jiriri Kiteru, or Koi no Jubaku, or Kokuhaku no Funsui Hiroba?

If you look at recent C-ute releases you'll see something similar. All the album tracks on 3rd ~Love Escalation~ are some type of weird mid-tempo song. There are no true ballads and no really fast paced energy songs. Then the single following that is Namida no Iro, which is another mid-tempo offering. They all belong in the same class, in my eyes at least.

My thinking is that this is a deliberate choice to try to create a distinctive sound for each group. While I understand the need to differentiate your product line, I do not think this is the right way. This is the idol world; aren't the girls themselves the main thing they are trying to market instead of the largely interchangeable pop music? I would think they would spend more time trying to bring out each girl's persona more instead of imposing arbitrary musical distinctions. I like Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance, it is fun, catchy and energetic, but if all Berryz singles become like this I can see myself losing interest very quickly. Hell, we're barely two songs in and I'm already feeling a bit bored. I want more varied entertainment.

Maybe I'm wrong about this. It could be that I'm seeing patterns where there are none, and that the songs aren't nearly as similar I'm making them out to be. I've been wrong about plenty of things in the past, and that could certainly be the case here. I'm certainly no musical expert, but I would guess the real test will be whenever C-ute's next single is released.

I am a big believer in the power of clichés to show what people view as universally true through the practice of unquestioning repetition. One of my favorite sayings is: "You learn something new everyday". I think it is important to end every day with a little more knowledge than you began it with, and that there are plenty of new things to learn if you just keep your eyes open. They also say that knowledge is power, and it is my hope to one day have amassed enough knowledge to become the unquestioned ruler of all creation and grind humanity underneath my heel. Until that day I'll have to be content with my current lot in life, and that lot has me learning what I can from Berikyuu!. Here are some of the things that I've learned from the first weeks worth of shows.

In the first episode I learned that C-ute's LALALA Shitfest no Uta dresses could be pretty low cut in the front. Just a little bit more and maybe... well, anyway I take back 5% of the negative things I've said about those dresses. The song is still shit though.

On day two I discovered that Miyabi is cuter than I ever gave her credit for. As Okai gives the final suggestion as to what the object could be you can see that Miyabi thinks that it could be the right answer. The way she clutches her tool and twists her arms up to her body while looking around sort of nervously. Then when it is revealed that the answer is not correct, her sudden outpouring of surprise and relief. I find that all incredibly adorable.

Also, is it just me or does this part of Okai's dress look like the eye of some kind of monster? Seriously, these outfits look like they were made with scraps from the Jim Henson workshop. I hereby restore 45% of the negative things I said that I earlier retracted.

The third episode brought about questions regarding the set decorations. It is obvious that most of the furnishings are recycled from the set of the LA LA LA Shitfest no Uta PV, like the hexagonal shelving unit and the rounded right angle bookshelf piece. However the one thing that caught my attention the most was the silver fire hydrant that sits off to the side.

It is sitting on the extreme margin of the set, behind the cables and gaffer's tape, almost far enough to pretend to be a real hydrant. Yet, how could a silver fire hydrant indoors be anything but a prop. So, we're left to wonder what it represents, is it a warning about some kind of looming danger? What is going to be burned away during the course of Berikyuu! that we should be concerned about? Perhaps it is meant to echo the only other silver object on set, the similarly roughly cylindrical in shape rocketship that sits on the bookcase. Is the color and shape supposed to be representative of something else? They are both related to fire, hydrants help put it out and rockets spew it forth and are propelled by it. Is there some significance there? It is such a mystery. If you argue that it isn't supposed to represent something, and is just a prop, that doesn't answer any questions as to why they decided to include it, while simultaineously keeping to to the side as far as possible. I am confounded by it.

The fourth episode is "Pose de BeriQ!", and I think the most intriguing thing is observing who people look at when they open their eyes.

It is interesting to see where people look for validation or confirmation. I also like how Chisato only barely got it right, and then was asking Mai what the Hell she was doing in a sort of condescending tone, what a bitch!

In the final episode of week one we have our first exposure to dry erase boards. I was struck by how weird (to me) is the way that Okai holds her pen. 

She grips it between her ring and middle fingers, whereas I and most people I've met hold it between the middle and index fingers. A lot of those who I saw hold it differently were left handed, and I'd assumed they adopted that alternate technique to prevent smudging as they wrote, but that doesn't seem applicable here. Many of the H!P members on this show write in a similar way, the one who is closest to my form is Nakajima Saki, though I don't hold a pen with such a death drip to force my index finger into that shape. I took out a pen and tried writing like Okai does and I discovered that it makes it more difficult for me to move the point through my normal range without using my whole arm. Additionally, I started feeling fatigue in my wrist and forearm before I finished the fourth sentence. Clearly I'm not very good at writing like that. I'd always believed that I wrote the "right" way, I hold a pencil like the unicode symbol ✍ after all, but seeing several people take a different path I can't help but feel doubt.

I've learned lots of things from Berikyuu!, not the least of which is that there is always something new to learn. In all honesty I want to learn about the girls more than corn preparation equipment and the like, but with careful observation I think that will come in time. If "knowledge is power", hopefully through Berikyuu! I will gain the power needed to rule the Earth with an iron fist. Though they also say that "curiosity killed the cat", so if I'm lucky I won't find out anything I don't want to know...

So, the PV to C-ute's latest single is out, and I brought out the old trusty text editor to jot down some of my initial reactions. Here we go:

I don't particularly care for Nakki's hobo outfit, and Mai looks like she is playing an eggplant in a school play...