…Guardians… 4…?

A new H!P group for Shugo Chara, H!P’s anime BFF, has been announced! It’s called Guardians 4 and consists of Kumai Yurina, Sugaya Risako, Nakajima Saki and Mitsui Aika.

So my initial reaction to the new group was this:

“Is that a g-word I spy? G as in… GRADUATION?! OHMIGOD. KUMAI’S GRADUATING?!”

After more careful perusal, I figured out that the word was indeed “guardian,” and not “graduation.”

Although I love the idea of a new grouping of H!P girls, I’m none too pleased with this one. All I can say is that as of now, even Yurina cannot save this painful grouping of girls. None of them can sing a jot aside from Yurina, who’s hit-and-miss. I HATE Mittsi’s ugly hair-cut, and Risako cannot dance. What was the inspiration behind this group?! Perhaps it’s a similarity to the characters?

In Shugo Chara, the main character (Amu) is part of what is essentially a souped-up school-council called the School Guardians. The girls in Guardians 4 are wearing the School Guardians’ outfits. Let’s compare the girls to some of the anime/manga’s School Guardians, shall we?

Kumai Yurina:

Comparable School Guardian: Nadeshiko/Nagihiko.

Nadeshiko is the gentle, feminine and reserved best friend of the main character. She has long, black hair and is somewhat tall. She is also a boy. There’s a little side story about how it’s tradition for the boys in his family to be raised as girls until they reach a certain age, to supposedly learn how to play female roles in traditional Japanese dance. Nagihiko is his name as a boy.

Yurina actually fits this character well. Yurina has a very refined, gentle and ladylike aura to her, just like Nadeshiko/Nagihiko. She’s a very traditional Japanese beauty… And if she’s actually a cross-dresser, more power to her.

Nakajima Saki:

Comparable School Guardian: Yaya Yuiko or Nadeshiko/Nagihiko as well.

Yaya is the youngest Guardian. She’s determined to act like a baby (in order to get her parents’ attention back from her baby brother). She is hyper and likes cute things. I say that Saki fits this image because she is sort of tiny and scrappy and cutesy like that.

The only reason that I say that Nadeshiko might suit Nakki is the way that her hair is in the preview images- She’s got it tied back in a bow, which was Nadeshiko’s signature look.

Sugaya Risako

Comparable School Guardian: Mashiro Rima

Rima is the gorgeous but stuck-up and aloof new girl at the school, who eventually joins the Guardians when Nadeshiko leaves to go… er, go away and then return as Nagihiko.

She fits my idea of Sugaya perfectly. Risako exudes this over-confident, aloof aura- she knows people love her, and she thinks that she’s totally deserving of that love no matter what. Many also find her to be indescribably gorgeous. Similarly, Rima stands aloof and doesn’t even try to make friends when she joins the Guardians- she insists that all she needs are her love-struck male “slaves,” the boys in the class who, having a crush on her, will do anything for her. Kinda like wota.

Mitsui Aika:

Comparable School Guardian: Soma Kukai

Kukai is the sporty, jocky, gung-ho character that’s friends with everyone and totally in your face. He’s loud and bright and cheerful, which to me totally fits with the slightly more mischievous, genki side of Mittsi. However, Kukai leaves the Guardian’s early on. What does this say about Mittsi’s prescence within the group?

SO, IN ALL?

Striking as they may be, as far as I’m concerned, these similarities are no excuse for such a tossed-together group. Weren’t Mittsi and Saki together already in that Robby & Kerobby or whatever group? I dunno. This grouping just seems so random. Well, we’ll see. I just hope that they aren’t going to be replacing Buono!

RR2!

The second installment of my Rankingu Revolution shall deal with the Berryz- my first and still favorite group of singing-dancing J-pop hamsters!

Last year’s thoughts

-

#7. Sugaya Risako

Former position: #7

Oooooooooooh C-ko, how I dislike thee! For all the standard reasons, of course; her hotter-than-thou persona, her refusal to sing like a civilized person, and her evident lack of effort when it comes to dancing.

Now, two of those three flaws also could apply to a certain Ishimura Maiha, adorable woodchuck Berry of my dreams (seriously, I love that girl), so what’s the difference, one wonders? Well, look at the difference in line distribution betwixt the two. See it? Good. Now go listen to Yume de Do Wop (Do up? Doo Wop? Uh… Nanchuu Koi wo Yatteru You Know’s b-side) and think about the Woodhchuck Berry, and sigh.

-

#6. Natsuyaki Miyabi

Former position (one wonders why I don’t say “former rank,” as this is a ranking…): #4

So at this point, rank doesn’t really matter any more. I love every single one of the non-Risako Berryz nearly equally. Where they rank just depends on how I’m feeling that day, or how they performed at the latest live.

So Miyabi gets ranked here, but there’s really very little change in how I feel about her from last year. She’s only getting more and more gorgeous, although lately I feel like she’s expressionless during live performances. I love her new haircut.

-

#5. Tokunaga Chinami

Former Position: #3

I could say that China and Momo are tied for their position, but that would be boring, wouldn’t it? I basically think that Chinami’s the hottest thing that’s ever walked around on two legs. Especially her two legs… She’s also nearly as funny as Momoko.

-

#4. Tsugunaga Momoko

Former Position: #5

I NAMED MY IPOD AFTER THIS MONKEYGIRL.

She’s entertaining and has the best singing ability (but not the best voice, that would be Miya) out of all of the Berryz. I absolutely adore her.

Also. What is with the Berryz looking like animals? Momoko is a strange monkeygirl, Miyabi is Seabiscuit, and Maiha was obviously descended from a long lineage of woodchucks. Kumai even has the word “bear” in her name! Hmm…

Idols genetically made to contain animal DNA…

It’s like a cross between Kirarin Revolution and Tokyo Mew Mew. OH GOD. THE SHOUJO. IT BURNS.

-

#3. Kumai Yurina

Former Position: #2

After all this time, I still love Yurina. If I had to pick one Berryz member to meet, it would be Saki, and I’d fangirl all over her. But if I had to pick one Berryz member to call up when I was sad, it would be Yurina. Just looking at pictures of her calms me down, and watching her perform always has me sitting there with this stupid happy smile on my face. She exudes a sweet gentleness that always makes me glad to be around.

\

#2. Sudou Maasa

Former Position: #1

Before I say anything; Maasa is getting her first photobook! Can I get a Hellz Yeah?! Whoever at UFA made that decision has my eternal love and respect. Then again, that same person might have had the idea to give Rii three (or was it four now?) photobooks before O CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN ever even got one, so… I revoke my respect.

I never download PBs- I’ve only done so on two occasions (That would be Kamei’s Maple and Yurina’s… whatever it’s called. Probably “Yurina” or something. First photobooks in H!P get the lamest titles), but I’m definitely going to find some way to download this one.

Maasa and Captain occasionally change places for first or second, depending on how I’m feeling that day. Maasa makes me laugh. I look at her, and I laugh. I can just feel that funny things are just around the corner. Maa has a strong personality, which is good when compared with such gentle creatures as as Kumai or Miyabi. She stands out. Plus she’s the only Berry who I think might be able to defend herself in a self-defense situation. Being the martial artist that I am, things like that matter to me.

#1. ShimiSaki- O Kyaputen, my Kyaputen!

Former Position: #6

ShimiSaki can be so cool at times that I get as giddy as a middle schooler at a HSM concert. It’s like Return of the Yoshizawa Only Shorter and As Of Yet Not Blond. So on days when I want to fangirl my brains out, I look up Captain. She just has this amazing ability to draw one into the performance and keep you there, just like Yossy was always able to do.

The reason she’s come up so far in my Wota ranking is almost entirely the BK vs. C-ute concert. She did amazing things there.

—

All in all? I love the Berryz. It’s been five years since they came into the J-poposphere, and while they haven’t really made Musume-levlr strides om said microcosm, for this one fangirl, that doesn’t matter.

PS: COMEBACKWOODCHUCK!

FOREVER LOVE… y’mean Tokkaiko 2, right?

A good friend of mine was recently killed in a car crash. He was one of my closest friends; my confidant, the person I talked to when I wanted an unbiased opinion. Needless to say, I’ve been taking it hard. I’ve barely had the energy to check up on the latest H!P news, much less post a review of anything (such as, say Nacchi’s new PV. My opinion of that can be pretty much summed up like this: Amazing PV, but get rid of the dorky cheesy sci-fi lights). So it’s going to take something pretty spectacular to pull me out of my mourning.

C-ute’s new PV is not that thing, but it’s still pretty damn good. I’m loving that they sprung some surprise outfits on us for the dance shot. I’m also loving that no one even bothered to hide the fact that Berryz got the crappier computers for their PV. It speaks volumes about the current placement of these two groups within H!P’s priority list. Berryz has basically become a joke, sort of like Melon Kinenbi did when they released their infamous PV for Onegai Miwaku no Target. I mean, look at this:

Chisato: Ha ha ha! OMG, the girl in that picture’s totally got octopus hair! Lol, what a lame-o!

Kanna: … Wonder if I should tell Chisato that that’s one of her official UFA pics from this PV? They basically photoshop her into unrecognizeability anyways. so it shouldn’t matter, but…

Erika: Mai, how many times must I tell you? Stop trying to unhook my bra in public. Just wait till later, okay?

Mai: C’mon, baby. No one’s watching! Just for a few minutes!

Airi: And that, my friends, is how you download free porn.

Maimi: Wooooow! Airi, who knew you had such hidden talents?

Saki: Hey, that girl in this hentai kinda looks like Yaguchi Mari! Only her name’s Yauchi. What’s this called again? Shining Musume? Funny, that almost sounds like… Oh.

I’m pleased, in general, with how the girls look. The menswear theme is really cool, and I’m loving the boots. With the alternate outfits, each of the girls gets a somewhat menswear inspired feminine outfit, expect for Airi, who’s wearing a particularly attractive little capelet which is nevertheless the aboslute worst thing to be wearing when dancing. It kills her movements. I think I’m the most in love with Mai’s clothes. The remind me of Kanashimi Twilight.

The worst outfit award HAS to go to Kanna. She has this odd overall outfit in a really heinous plaid. It totally doesn’t fit around her hips, and it makes her torso look way too short. The hat and the scarf just make it that much worse. She ends up looking like she’s gotten confused as to whether she’s being Orphan Annie or one of the factory boys from Oliver.

However, something else stood out to me about this screen-shot, something far more interesting than the fact that whoever chose Kanna’s clothes was obviously high:

OMG, ChisaTUSH for the win!

Like this move? Takahashi taught it to me. It’s really original and makes me look distraught and hurt, lol!

Maimi was, as usual, looking stunning. For me, Maimi herself isn’t physically my type. She’s pretty, but not in a way that I really care about. But something about the way she carries herself really appeals to me. Maybe it’s because that she’s actually a UFA built cyborg that she carries herself like that, the original having been absorbed by the ManoCreature ages ago.

Bitch, on your knees. Lick my boots. Curl my hair. Kill Momoko and Miyabi so I can go solo.

Somehow… Airi… really made me happy in this one. Maybe it’s because, when I showed my friend who died the Tokaikko Junjou PV, he really liked her, and ever after he inquired about her if I brought C-ute up.

Or…

Maybe it’s because she knows how to download internet porn. -shrugs- You decide.

No matter how you look at it, Chisato is gorgeous in this PV. But her hair… her hair…

How much hair cement did it take to make it look like someone had basically stuck an octopus to her scalp and called it a day? Whoever thought of this style should be shot (although I don’t mind the bangs).

Nakki, oh, Nakki. What happened here? You look like some Mexican guy, and not the sexy kind that have big muscles and looks good when they’re sweating. The scrawny kind with the thin little mustache that tries to sell you things on the side of the street and is wearinga stained tank top and has too much hair gel in their hair.

But, uh, you looked great dancing. In fact, that purple blazer of yours in the alternate outfit version was fantastic. I tried the exact same thing on today while shopping at Banana Republic.

…

It looked better on you.

Dammit.

Kanna, oh, Kanna…

Whatever Saki did wrong, you did right. You’re breathtaking in this PV, in that special lesbian way that only you can be.

Mai looks like a sickly child here. Like the kind you see carrying an inhaler in their fanny pack, along with their hanky and handi-wipes, just in case.

Er, yeah, Mai. Better luck next time.

If any of you needed proof that Erika is part woodchuck…

Erika was mostly just Erika here. Kinda out of place, but still sexy. I abslolutely loved her curly hair during some parts of the dance shot. She looks so much better that way.

(Oh, the reason for the title of this was because the song, the PV, the dance, the line distribution, all of it basically makes me thing of Tokaikko Junjou/ That’s not bad. I love that song and PV.)

I give this PV a 8 out of 10, and the song an 8.5 out of 10, because I’m just that great.

Now if you’ll excuse, I’m going to go stare at ChisaTUSH some more.

♠♦♥♣

So! Thanks to Mars (The blogger of Stardust. Wait a minute. Wow. That sounds like the name of a nerdy emo band. The Bloggers of Stardust. Black ink runs from their slashed wrists as they type out their angst into a coded swirling dark torrent of despair. Yeah, that sounds about right!), I have learned of the formation of possibly the greatest new unit in H!P. Why, you ask, does Usa-chan love this unit so much? She’ll tell you, and in the third person to boot!

1. Usa-chan’s favorite-ish Eggy-poo is currently Saho Akari, who also happens to be portraying the uber cool Amulet Spade character transformation.

2. Usa-chan loves Fukuda Kanon

3. Usa-chan just so happens to adore the character designs for Amu’s character transformations in Shugo Chara.

3.14159. Usa-chan doesn’t usually talk in the third person like this…

3.5. She finds it mildly thrilling.

4. She’ll stop now.

I can’t tell you how happy this new unit has made me.

It’s very interesting that Maeda Yuuka was chosen to be the Amulet Heart transformation, Amu’s main character transformation in the anime/manga. Could that denote an advanced position within the group? I don’t know if I’d like that, as any over-saturated girl in H!P generally annoys me (hey thar Reina). But the fact that my two darlings within the group are portraying my two favorite Character Transformations (Saho Akari as the ever cool MIki, and Fukuda Kanon as the lovely Su) makes me squee like the fangirl that I… well, am. As long as they both get even one tiny little line, the entire rest of the song can be all Maeda, and I’ll be okay. I’m not so stoked about Wada Ayaka, because she’s always reminded me of a brownie. Both the food (which is a dry little chocolate-ish square that grandmothers force into you), and the creatures (which are helpful little sprites that, inexplicably, refuse gifts, especially clothing. Maybe they’re Jehovah’s Witness.)

This good news came at the perfect time for me. Rather than go into detail, I’ll simply say that my life is not going greatly at the moment (a teenager’s position is powerless, or so I’ve been told). Despite all this personal suckishness, just the smallest, most pixelated image of a bunch of cute underage girls dressed up in what looks like cheap cosplay brings all sorts of good feelings back (no, not those kinds of feelings, you perverts). For a half hour, I can sit here and be distracted from any personal crap as I plan out how best to jump a plane to Japan, hide in some bushes, kidnap Saho-chan, put her in my pocket, and bring her back to America with me.

Basically? Idols are the only thing that never fail to make me happy. People come and go, but there will ALWAYS be another poorly produced, talentless pop group out there for me to adore. I give the T-man a lot of grief, but really, I’m very grateful to him.

Thanks, Tsunku. I appreciate it.*

*But you’re seriously still creepy.

Happy 15!

So, ever since learned that Yurina and i share a birthday, I’ve wanted to have a birthday party with her! But strangely enough, she never returned my invitations. It seems that she was plotting something behind the scenes…

…

One morning, Usa-chan woke up bright and early to a feeling of excitement! It was her 15th birthday, August the 3rd, 2008! She sprang out of bed, ready to devour her cake and open her presents.

However, a certain member of Berryz Koubou had different ideas…

“Ha ha ha!” the songstress laughed. “I have stolen all but one slice of your cake! Now what shall you do?”

Needless to say, Usa-chan was quite horriffied at the actions taken by her #2 member of Berryz, and quickly sent her back off to Japan, but not before giving her birthday wishes and withdrawing hostilities.

However, she’s still guarding that last slice of cake carefully…

Happy birthday, Yurina!

This. Is. AWESOME.

Hi, boys and girls! Have you seen the PV for Edo no Temari Uta II yet? If you haven’t, you’re missing out, because from the set to the dance to the girls themselves, this PV is amazing. I can barely organize my thoughts to actually review this correctly, so first I’ll just talking about the girls themselves, relatively safe territory.

The very first thing we see in this PV is Airi looking, for lack of better words, magical. I’ve recently come to terms with Airi in my head. I just can’t hate her, and in allowing myself to NOT hate her, I’m actually finding myself liking her. Huh. Throughout this entire PV, Airi is just a bit of cotton candy. She’s fun to watch, but there’s no real substance. But this is J-pop. Who needs substance? Airi’s costume is quite a lot shorter and more revealing than the others, but I’m okay with that. Like I said, I’ve come to terms with her being the star of C-ute, and if that means tiny costumes, that’s fine. The lack of fabric actually comes in handy for her when they do the slower parts of the dance (the little back-and-forth steps, the head rolls, etc.) because it shows off her great posture.

Maimi is… Maimi makes… I’m not sure what to say! Everyone in the PV is having fun, but Maimi seems like she’s really THINKING about it. In a lot of other idols, that would come across as forced and fake, but not Maimi. She’s just great. Her deep vocals acually suit this song and she doesn’t sound as though she’s struggling at all. The only low point would be her costume, which reminds me of a character from The Nutcracker (Y’know, the lady whose children all run out from under her skirt), but somehow, she pulls it off. Also, Maimi + Red = hot.

Gotta love her expressions… a friend of mine and would-be fan (Hi, Alyson!) made an interesting comment about Yajima: “Red–> Definitely seemed like she’s usually the leader and doesn’t want to give that up.” That’s right. Yajima is giving off Leader-vibes.

Erika and her impossibly high cheekbones are difficult to screencap in this PV. All those shadows! That aside, Erika brings the sexy into the PV. She just is a sexbomb. It’s been said before, of course, but I wish she’s stress that more. Her voice is typical for her, kinda squeaky but not bad. But her outfit. Wow. It’s the best outfit of the whole PV, for sure. I would wear that in real life (yes, but Usa-chan, you’ve worn an evening gown to school! You’d wear anything as long as it’s pretty…).

Holy crud, I’m even liking NakaSaki in this PV? I can’t help it! She’s sooo cute. She reminds me of when a young chick when it’s all yellow and fluffy. Even her little Mouse-voice sounds good here. And her dancing is somehow… coy? I think it’s coy. Yes. Her smile goes a little funny in some parts, though. And not good-funny.

Mai was just kinda… Mai for me in this PV. Not bad or good. Just… Mai. Her singing was fine, and her costume was cute, although it seemed more, well, costumey than the others, and of course, she was ADORABLE. But, I’m actually a little worried about The Future of Mai. She’s going to have to stop relying on being the youngest in the group at some point, because pretty soon being the youngest will mean that she’s 14 or 15, and that’s not really all that young in Idol years.

Kanna. Kanna Kanna Kanna! This PV totally cemented her as my #2 C-utie. She just… flirts the entire time. And has fun, and draws you into the PV. I love her expression in the dance-shot right after her line. Like “Yeah, I’m singing for YOU.” -fangirl sigh-

Ah, Chiisan. With your voice that sounds like a 80-year old woman who has smoked a pack a day her whole life… and still just so happens to be a kick-ass singer. Chisato’s having so much fun in this PV. She looks like she’s just having the time of her life, SO happy to finally have a line. And of course, she nails it. I love her crazy expressions. I’m a little disappointed by her outfit color. They manage to wash out someone as tan as Chiisan.  Impressive!

Now for the set, which I believe is what really makes the PV. The set manages to be dark and dreamlike, yet still fun. It’s like a carnival at night, inhabited by spirits wearing cute outfits. The darkness of the background and the bright lights actually reminds me a bit of the Anataboshi set. But this one is many, many times better. In fact, thanks to the set, I can say that this is one of the few H!P singles that I really want to physically own. I want this single!

Score: 9.5/10. Half a point off for the length. I want more Kanna goodness!

~Bikkuri Survey~

Because I’m not at my computer, instead of talking about just how much I LOVE the Yuke yuke mokey dance PV, I’ll be filling out Bikkuri’s blogger survey. Thanks, bikkuri! It was really fun! I’ll be writing a proper, screen-capped write-up about Monkey Dance when I’m at home. Oh, but I will share with you my friend’s reaction to the monkey suits:

“Oh. My. Laundry Soap.
That will be giving me nightmares for weeks.
-shivers-”

On to the survey!

1. You have found a magical J-pop genie who will grant you one J-pop related wish (so no wishing for a million dollars or world peace or anything like that). It can be virtually anything as long as it’s directly related to J-pop, and don’t worry, because this is the nice sort of genie, not the kind who will try to find a loop-hole and screw up your wish. So, what do you wish for??? Oh no… my first instinct is completely selfish (I wish for a gift certificate to buy Yossy’s photobooks. ♥) but on thinking about it, what I really want is H!P’s success. Because the more successful they are, the longer I’ll be able to love them!

2. Is there any J-pop artist or group who seriously pisses you off? If yes, who, and why?
Sugaya Risako, is there a Sugaya Risako in the building? I just can’t bear this girl. She reminds me of all the clique-ish brats at my school who get by because people adore them for some odd reason. She’s just so lazy. It’s like she’s purposely trying to insult her fans by putting out 50% effort.

3. Who do you think is the sexiest japanese singer out there?

Hmm, within H!P? I’d say Sayu, because she’s just a sexy beast, but every now and then Kamei catches me off guard and it’s like… “Where did that come from?” I have to go with Kamei. Oh, but not in H!P? Ugh… Leah Dizon-person. I don’t like her music much, but she is rather sexy.

4. How about the cutest?

Difficult. Every time I see Maimai, I just wanna squish her cheeks, and no other H!P girl aside from Fukuda Kanon makes me want to do that. FACIAL CHEEKS.

5. Best personality? Probably… Yossy. She makes me feel at ease just by watching her. But as for a character, I really love Momoko. She’s a perfect Idol.

6. If given the opportunity, would you rather date person 3, person 4, or person 5? So my choices are Eri, the only H!P girl I’ve ever felt sexual at all about, Mai who reminds me of my four year old cousin or Yossy, who I love but in an admiring sort of way (in fact, she makes me think of my mom). Let’s go with Eri!

7. You work for a Japanese music magazine, and you have the opportunity to interview your favorite artist or group. What are a couple of the questions you want to ask them? I’d want to ask Berryz Koubou how they perceive their fans, and how they feel about the choices made by those at UFA, including Tsunku. Do they feel that they could be making better choices regarding the future of the group? Would they like to be my best friends and fly back to America and live with me?!

8. What’s the best (J-pop) song to listen to when you are really sad? I always listen to j-pop when I’m sad, so that’s hard. I generally listen to Ai’s “Yume kara samete”, AKB48’s “Kinjirareta Futari” and Utada Hikaru’s “First love” and “Dare ka no Negai ga Kanau Koro” when I just want to let myself be sad, but when I need to cheer up fast, I listen to W’s “Ai no Imi wo Oshiete.”

9. When you’re really happy? “Ai no Imi wo Oshiete” or Berryz’ “Munasawagi Scarlet” (I associate a really happy event in my life with that song!).

10. Do you often sing along to your favorite songs? Yes! I only sing aloud when others aren’t around (unless it’s Mr. Moonlight, because I can’t help but sing along there), but with others around I still mouth the words.

11. How about dance? No, never.

12. Artistic integrity question!! If someone offered to pay you for blogging, but they were allowed to censor some of your opinions or veto some of your blogging ideas, would you do it?

-inward sob- Yes, I would. Because I have need of money currently (if I get a job in the near future, I would say no). Hey look, I just got a job pet-sitting! So I can safely say “HELLZ NO! Give me blogging liberty or give me death.”

This post is lacking pictures, and lately I’ve been loving Kanna, so… here’s some Kanna for you!

The Sexy Otona-jan curse strikes again!

We wota’ll make a curse out of anything these days…

Consider this a place holder for now: I don’t want to make any solid opinions until there’s a solid reaction from UFA.

However, my initial thought is this: While I’m not too torn up about Miyabi in particular, the idea of ANY H!P kid involved in a scandal is almost unbearable. I’m hoping that this will end up like that Risako non-scandal a while ago, the one with the picture of her (or a look-alike) almost kissing some random boy. Hey, if anyone has that picture, could you send it or a link to where it can be found to me?

Because I’m un-creative: TLS blogger survey.

I haven’t had the mental power to come up with a worthwhile post lately, but I’ve rather wanted to take this survey… so, here it is.

Goals:

• Why do you blog? At first, I just really wanted to have a place to talk about Idols with other people who felt as strongly about them as I did. Then I started reading some other people’s blogs (most notably Shanimuni Paradise, Yossha Yossha yossha and Hello!Blog, all of which are linked in the sidebar) and decided that what i really wanted was to voice my opinions and have discussions with people like these.
  

• What long-term goals do you hope to accomplish, if any at all? I don’t really blog to accomplish anything. I just… do it to be heard.

• Where does your blog fail to meet your goals? I have trouble stating what I mean to say concisely. And, of course, I rarely come up with anything original to say…
  

• If you do have goals, what will accomplishing them do for yourself? My goals don’t have much to do with my blog…
  

• What do you want to gain out of blogging? A creative outlet? Praise from others? Personal satisfaction? Money? No money, sadly, and even if I earned any, it’d go right to H!P merchandise… it is something of a creative outlet for me, because Idols leak into my everyday conversations enough as it is. Praise from others is always an added bonus…
  

• Do you feel that your blog should meet a requirement for amount of entries? Do you feel any particular entry should be a certain length? No, that’s a limiting and rather silly thought!~
  

• For any particular entry, what motivates you to start and finish blog posts? I start a post because an idea or feeling takes a hold of me and I need to get it out! Finishing is something different entirely. I rarely finish my posts.
  

• Do you actively consider long term goals for each individual post? Only if they’re in-depth thought posts.
  

Subject Material:

• What do you blog about? Asian music. Mainly H!P.
  

• Would you be keeping a blog even if it wasn’t about the subjects you tend to cover? …no?

• Do you write about the material to promote it to others? Sometimes. I don’t tell people to go out and buy something, but I’m not above asking people to give something a listen!
  

Readership:

• How much do you care about readership? I’m very grateful that people stop and read my blog. The idea that my words are being read and thought about by others keeps me going!
  
• Does it satisfy you to know people are reading, even if they don’t comment? Yes!~ Very much so. Comments are nice, because they offer a different perspective on what I wrote, but just seeing that people visit my blog is enough.
  
• What effect does receiving a comment have on you? It makes me a little embarassed, but also very happy.
• Do you write with a particular audience in mind or an unspecified general audience? Why? I don’t do so… I write for myself.
  
• If you write for a particular audience, is it International Wota? If yes, why? At first i was, because it was my goal to have the people at IW notice my blog. When that occured within my second post, I was almost speechless.

Community: (The International Wota section)

• If International Wota didn’t exist, would you blog? I started blogging after seeing all the blogs on IW, so if it never existed, then no. But if it were to cease existing, then yes, I would.
  
• When IW covers an entry of yours, are you encouraged to blog more or less? More! I love seeing what they say about my posts.
  
• When IW does not cover an entry, are you encouraged to blog more or less? More. It makes me feel like I need to improve.
  
• How often do you read other blogs? Every day! Even more than writing in this blog, I enjoy reading what others say.
  
• How often do you comment on other blogs? At least once a week, but not often.
  
• If another blog covers a topic that you wanted or wished to cover, do you still blog about that specific topic? Why or why not? I do! Blogging is all about getting out different opinions on the same or a similar topic.
  

Commitment:

• How serious is your attitude towards blogging? Do you consider it just as something to do for fun? It’s both serious and fun. I do it for fun, but because other people are reading what I write, I have to put effort into my posts to be respectful of my readers.
  
• How often do you blog? How often would you like to blog? I blog at my own pace. Sometimes it’s fast, sometimes it’s slow. Generally it’s slow… but that’s not so bad!
  
• What priorities do you or have you put aside in order to blog? Why? School. I never do homework at home, anyways… blogging is just another thing that I do instead of that (well, I’m doing homework right now…).
  
• Do you see yourself blogging in 6 months? Why or why not? Of course. In 6 months, new singles will be out, new scandals, new groups… I want to blog about it all!
  

Personal:

• Would you say you blog for yourself? I do, but at the same time, I ensure that I’m not overly offensive to someone who might be reading, and I try to make what I write interesting.
  
• What is your feeling after posting an entry? Is it relative to the time and effort you put in an entry? I feel a little nervous, since I’m putting my opinions out there for others to judge.
• What needs does blogging fulfill? The need to talk about Asian music!
• Do you consider yourself a writer? Yes, I love to write anything and everything… except this stupid speech for history class.
  
• Do you consider yourself good at writing? Good at blogging? I’m good at writing in that I can make up words about any topic and sound like I know exactly what to say. I’m as good a blogger as I can be right now.
  
• How much of your personal life do you share on your blog? If none, why do you leave this out? I’ve no real reason to share personal life here, right? You all care more about Takahashi Ai in a bikini than what I had for breakfast this morning, right (French toast and strawberries, thank you very much)?

Now she’s just a yolk…?

I’m so sad about this. Mucchi is/was my favorite Egg.

(My dear friend gave me the idea for this title when she asked that of Mucchi as I wailed in despair. Really, I did.

Aaaagh!

Like that.)

On to the rest of the post!

This is what Mutou Mika looked like when I was first starting to discover the Eggs (I always sort of glossed over them- I saw them in concerts, and it’s like they didn’t register until I saw the 2006 Wonderful Hearts Summer). And when I saw this picture I thought “She has to be the ugliest member of H!P. Ever.” And yet she was the only one whose name I could remember, or whom I could pick out whenever a camera man accidentally caught a moment of Eggie-face while panning to get a better view of Nacchi, or Reina, or Yui(’s boobs).

To me, this picture sums up what I love about Mucchi the most: She is NOT an idol. She’s up there flashing a cheerful and cute peace sign, and yet her expression is so serious and almost bored. The total clash between the two shows that she didn’t totally know what she was doing, and I love that about her. She’s kinda like Maasa in that respect. Maybe I just like the weird girls?

Mucchi rocks with longer hair, I must say. And does anyone else see a hint of Matsuura Aya in her? Perhaps around the eyes?

In case anyone needed proof that Mucchi was hot as well as being a cutie, here it is. And I just love that expression!

As if to lend weight to the Matsuura Aya likeness, here she is doing Ayaya’s famous cheek-puffing out face… Well alright, not really. But that’s what I thought of when I saw this! Yes, I am a spazz.

Final proof that Mutou Mika has her own special charm. Even up against H!P greats like Rika, Yossy and Konno, and even just next to the slightly more popular eggs such as Noto Arisa and fan-favorite Mano Erina, Mucchi manages to hold her own.

I’ll miss you, Mucchi! The next Ongaku Egg on my list?