Morning Musume 15th Anniversary Fall Tour ~Colorful Character~

Nakano Sunplaza - October 7th Afternoon

After seeing the set list and partially listening to a concert rip from earlier in the tour I knew this concert was going to be amazing, and it didn't disappoint!  Course, it probably helped that I was second row to the side so could see everything perfectly.  We had row 2 seats for the Summer Concert as well but those were dead center so with row O ended up being row 5.  Off to the side, row 2 is row 2 and afforded us an excellent view. 

However, before the concert it was goods-getting time.  And there were so many amazing things this time that it was hard to choose.  Even leaving off a few things I might order online later I spent 24000 on goods and another 2000 on gatcha.  I'm really impressed with the variety of goods H!P has been putting out lately.  Not just pictures and useless giant badges but attractive hoodies and goods that can be used in daily life.  Trust me, once you've been a fan long enough you stop buying goods just because they are there and have your member on them, because you simply don't have the space for anymore large goods.  Cell phone straps,uchiwa, and tour books are my thing.  Sometime I'll post pictures of my various goods.

After getting goods, it was back in another line for the handshake with Sakura.  Now, there's a lot of negative stuff being said about her on the net, but seriously give the girl a break.  Ugly?  She's 13 and one of the pictures of her was done in horrendous lighting making her look 30. She doesn't look anything like that in the other pictures, though I will admit I think long hair suited her more.  She's really sweet when you talk to her.  And you did get to kinda talk as the handshake was slow paced, they didn't seem to be pushing people along unless they were trying to hog her all to themselves.  So you could easily have a dialogue back and forth before moving on on your own time.  And so that's what I did.  I didn't say much though, just told her "There will be some tough situations but do your best!" and she thanked me and I moved on.

She has as nice firm, yet not overpowering, handshake.  She makes eye contact with you.  She also didn't have the gaijin shock that the 9th and 10th gen did when they first shook hands with me.  She overall just gives off a very pleasant impression.  I look forward to seeing her debut fully at the New Years concerts.

I was allowed in early because I had gotten into the Sakura fanclub handshake, so my boyfriend was in a separate line outside.  He ended up walking right after I finished my handshake though, perfect timing.  We headed down to our seats and waited for the show to start.

If you want to see the full set list you can find it here. As it states at the top of the chart 14 of the songs performed were performed for the first time, so the girls put a lot of work into this concert.  It was an album-song heavy concert with a Platinum-era heavy medley.

First off, the concert promo outfits look much better in person than in photos.  In photos I thought they looked like the girls were just wearing a formless lampshade.  Turns out that is not the case.  The back has a cape that lists 1-10th gen and has the generation of the girl wearing it circled.  The outfits also move quite well with the dances.

The concert started off strong with One Two Three followed by The Matenro Show.  I have heard these songs SO many times that I basically sing along with them in their entirety.  I like One Two Three better than Matenro but both are good songs and look well when performed by the whole group.  Kanon was on the right side of the stage alot so I got to watch her up close quite frequently.  Though, not as frequently as I would have liked since she was often on the back raised stage x_x

What's Up?  is a great audience-involving song.  It's listed as the first performance being during this tour though from reports of the Hawaii FC tour it was actually performed there.  This was the first time that anyone could see it though.  Sound-wise it seemed out of place for Musume when I first saw the dance rehearsal footage, but as I've listened to it more it seems to go along with the fun-loving youth theme of the current Musume.  And it really makes me love the Colorful Era even more.

Waratte You has been a hit for me since first hearing the radio rip, probably because it is a 9th/10th gen song so Kanon is in it.  Now I am a reasonable enough fan / wota that I am not "OMG AMAZING VOICE, JUST LISTEN TO THIS SONG!!!" But, Kanon's solo lines in the song do sound quite powerful and allow her to really let lose on stage.  She is still working on gaining control over her range so this song is a good one for her because she can just belt it all out.  Everyone else performed well also.  The outfits for it were well... kinda special.

And Sakura seems to be saying so as well.  Though my boyfriend made the astute observation that Reina is basically wearing what she always wears ^_^

 Watashi no Jidai is a great song live, much better than just listening to it on the CD.  When they do the "100 colors for 100 people" part and spell out 1 0 0 with their hands the whole audience does it as well, making for a powerful experience.

Chikyuu ga Naiteru was very fun just as it is when you listen to it and Bravo was a completely new experience with the current line up.  Yes, I know the 9th and 10th gen performed it before but the past few months have seen a lot of growth for both groups so it has a completely different feel than it had before.  Everyone on stage had a lot of energy and well, how can you not love a song that basically has the chicken dance built into it.

Next up were the 9th and 10th gen songs.  I actually am not a big fan of the 10th gen song just because it is too cutesy for me and seems out of place for Haruna and Daishi.  Performed live it is a really fun song though and the candy striper/60s waitress style outfits were adorable.  The 9th gen song  was one of the highlights of the concert for me.  I have loved the cool dance sound of the song ever since I first heard it and since it wasn't performed at the version of the summer concerts I went to this was my first time seeing it live.  It did not disappoint.  All four looked great and pulled off the cool look well.  Well, besides Eripon.  But that was her outfit designers fault.  Her outfit was just... weird.

Seriously, how does Eripon's outfit fit with the style of the song at all?  An argument could be made against Riho's too since it barely has any of the pattern the rest of the 9ki's outfit has but it at least fits the cool dance floor style of the song.

Reina's song Namida Hito Shizuku is simply gorgeous live.  The melody, her voice, her outfit; everything fit perfectly with this touching ballad.  And let me say,  as I said on my Tumblr, I'm not really a fan of Reina NOR a fan of ballads.  But this song is so beautiful and touching that it had me singing along and almost crying with the lyrics.  If you're not a fan of it I recommend looking at translated lyrics and listening again, the story behind it is really well written.

Sayu's song is, well it's Sayu's song.  La la la no Pi pi pi is exactly what you would expect from the title and Sayu's more mature dress seemed at first out of place.  Until the two eggs, who were dressed as rabbits, came out in order to worship Sayu for the whole of the song.  It was a very fun performance to watch and although I'm glad I got to see Eggs I had never seen perform before do it I do have to wonder how it looks when performed with Riho and Masaki as back up.

Kare to issho ni ... well I didn't really like it as it was performed in this concert.  It's a fun song that I understand Sayu is the lead in but the whole song was so focused on Sayu and Reina that even watching the other girls for their silliness during the song wasn't all that fun.  It was a better choice than singing Kono Chikyuu though as this song has more of a Sayu feel.

The rotating song sung at my concert was Shinnen dake ha tsurinuki toose which is probably my favorite B-side on the latest single.  I love the pace of the song and it makes for a very poweful performance.  Plus gorgeous blue outfits looked well on all the girls.  Next was the medley, which featured a great mix of Platinum era songs and 12 Smart songs that really captured the image of the current lineup well.  Sexy Boy and Kimagure were mixed in throughout the medley as a way to transition between songs and they worked great.  Plus the crowd really gets into the dances for both songs and I was no exception, "ue ue"ing with the best of them.  The song I was most waiting for in the medley was I'm Lucky Girl as this is probably my favorite song from Fantasy 11. I am still disappointed that they featured none of the new album songs in JunLinEri's graduation concert, never allowing them to perform the songs they performed in.

Resonant Blue is another favorite song of mine for the rhythm though probably not the best song for showing off the whole group since it's a song that from the get-go had only three singers.  Still, always a good song for the crowd so in the future I'd love to see it adapted to at least allow the rest of the group to harmonize more.  Renai Hunter, no complaints there as it's an excellent song.  Then came the craziest song from the new album Dokkan Cappricio.  It is such an amazing song that really features all the girls.  A little awkward to look at Do and hear her asking you if she's sexy though.  Of course I was more focused on Kanon who was gyrating with the best of them.

Now, yes Kanon has some fat on her.  She does have a bit of a pooch on her. You will also notice if you see her live that she has boobs.  Barring unnatural circumstances, body fat tends to come with having boobs.  They just could've made her outfit a little bit looser so it didn't show that she had a pooch so much.  Still the girl is beautiful and I honestly think a lot of Westerners forget that for a 14 year old with boobs comes a tummy too.  Her thighs though, gorgeous, the dancing is really paying off and she does it really well now.

Poor Kanon though, after they came out in the white outfits pictures above her headband kept trying to fall out so every 30 seconds or so in a song you would see her try to subtly push the headband back into her hair but it was really fighting staying on top of her head.  Luckily the last song before encore was the semi choral ballad Zero kara hajimaru seishun so she didn't have to flail around so much while trying not to worry about her headband going flying onto the stage.

For the encore Sakura once again came on stage for a few seconds for greetings before going back off.  Before that though we got to see Wakuteka performed in all its glory. I LOVE that song.  I often skip through songs on my iPod randomly until I find one I want to listen to at the moment but Wakuteka is one of the few songs that as of now I have not been able to skip through.  Be Alive might be the uptempo ballad that they will choose for this era as their ending theme, just like Namidacchi was the ballad for the last group.  It does seem a good theme though maybe something a little more danceable for the last song would be better in the future.

Overall thoughts: This concert had an excellent set list.  Being the 15th anniversary concert, or one of them at least, they did mix in older songs, but not TOO old.  Let's face it, no one wants to see Love Machine anymore, no matter HOW iconic of a song it is.  They could have pulled off a couple of older songs but seemed to stick with 2007 on to be safe.  They did do a couple of random Hello Project songs in the rotating song section but non during the setlist I saw.  I would have liked to see the variations and hope that they are released on the DVD/blu-ray.

Daishi and Haruka did have wraps on their injuries.  Haruka's was the most obvious because the wrap went a few inches above and below her knee.  You could see that she was in pain a couple of times when she wasn't talking during the MCs but she is a professional and didn't let it inhibit her dancing one bit.  Daishi's foot seems to be mostly healed though you could see the wrap sticking out at the end of the concert when she was wearing short boots.  From her dancing, and Haruka's too, you would never be able to tell they were injured.  I hope the two of them don't overdo it but am glad they are professionals who give their all no matter what.

Masaki... well the girl is adorable and does well when doing pre-planned things but apparently cannot handle doing anything spontaneous.  Reina threw her a line a couple of times that was supposed to be improvised and she just bursts into giggles and goes into panic mode.  So she has a bit of a ways to go before she is a real performer, but does great otherwise.  Haruna's dancing is on par with most of the other girls now and she doesn't seem to have the Konkon syndrome.  What I mean by that is that Konkon could not up til the point she graduated from Elder club and beyond dance unless she was fully concentrating on it.  So she almost never made eye contact or waved at the audience all the times I saw her.  You could tell she was completely focused inward to make sure she got the moves right.  Haruna on the other hand may not have every move perfect but waves and smiles at the audience whenever she has the chance.  I prefer that over zombie faced dancing, though Konkon is also adorable.

I can't wait to see the 11-person Musume in January!

Hello Project 2012 Summer 15th Anniversary ~Ktkr Fan no Matsuri~

At Nakano Sunplaza 8/12/2012

 

To be honest, I went into this concert with lower expectations than normal because I wasn't too impressed with the set list.  I mean take a look below:

01. Cho HAPPY SONG（All）
02. Maji desu ka ska! （All）
03. Suki yo junjou hankouki （スマイレージ）
04. Dot bikini （スマイレージ）
05.Song for the DATE（真野恵里菜）
06. Banzai！～Jinsei wa meccha wonderful～（真野恵里菜）
07. Aitai aitai aitai na （℃-ute）
08. Kimi chari （℃-ute）
09.cha cha SING（Berryz工房）
10.Loving you Two much（Berryz工房）
11.One・Two・Three（モーニング娘。）
12. Watashi ga ite kimi ga iru （モーニング娘。）
13. Watashi ga obasan ni nattemo （All）
14. Cabbage hakusho （Peaberry）
15. Koko kara hajimarun da！（吉川友）
16. Smile Blues （Kanyon, Meimei）
17. Watashi no jidai！（モーニング娘。Rokkies）
18.Medley: Koko ni iruze ~ Uchouten love ~ Genkimono de ikou ~ Special generation ~ Dance de Bacon! ~ Pyoko Pyoko Ultra ~ Sukichan ~ Sekai ichi Happy na onna no ko ~ Maji bomber ~ Bravo ~ Yo no naka barairo ~ Koko ni iruze
19. Chotto matte kudasai！（All）

 .. it's not a very interesting set list.  Now, that doesn't mean it's a bad selection of songs, just quite lame for a Hello Project concert.  Almost all of these songs can be seen at each group's solo concert.  And that's not really what people are looking for when they go to the Winter/Summer concerts.  Especially when it's something like the 15th anniversary year, you expect a bit more.

Play: Stacys ~The Second Killing of Young Girls a Musical~

Boy, is that title hard to translate.  On Thursday I went to see the widely talked about Musume as zombies play.  Now, unlike many who were probably completely confused by the concept, I was actually familiar with the story. I had never watched the movie myself but I remembered hearing about a schoolgirl zombie b-horror movie several years ago and as soon as I read the title and the premise of the musical in my fanclub letter I knew that was what they were performing.  The only question in my mind was how: how on earth do you perform a play about zombies being chopped to bits on stage?  And with IDOLS!?

The Promotional Poster

Above you see the poster for this time's play.  Of course, as soon as this poster made it to the internet there were outcries of "Reina and Riho dominated again!" forgetting that Kuduu is also in this picture.  Yes, they are the main characters in the story, in fact each is a main character in a separate but interlocking sub-story.  Reina and Riho are good actresses, they work well as leads.  Kuduu does excellent as well.  

Don't let them being leads fool you, the other girls get the same if not more stage time, the stories simply do not focus on them.  But this story doesn't really focus on any of the girls.  The main character is actually the young man who from the beginning of the play where he encounters a weird request by Reina's character that throws his whole life for a loop.  Throughout the play we see him in the background though it is told from his point of view, first about the strange girl he met.  Then about a strange laboratory full of its own secrets.  And finally about a young detective girl and an encounter she has that will change the whole definition of what a Stacy is.

From here on I am going to discuss the story as I remember it.  I do hope the DVD is subbed by someone when it is released as it is excellent.

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Storyline 1 - "My meeting with a mysterious stranger" (that's what I'm calling it)

   So it starts out with a young man sitting gazing at nothing on a bench.  Along comes Reina's character to bug him.  Quickly she throws a weird request at him "Please accept the right to kill me for a second time"  Apparently this is something that many girls are doing these days.  That's right, because girls of the ages 14-16 (different from the novel which was 15-17) all become infected with a strange disease where they die and come back soon after as a Stacy, a being that only wishes to eat and convert the general public, or what we would generally call a zombie.

Reina is in the stage of this disease which is called "Near Happiness", wherein the girl frolics around always happy and laughing at anything.  This is the stage that happens shortly before she is about to die and become a Stacy, and it is at this point that many girls search out someone to kill them later on.  Reina's character unfortunately does not have any family to do the job for her as we learn her best friend became a Stacy and killed Reina's parents.  Reina was the one who had to chop her friends to bits with tools she found around the house.

Over the course of the day in the park, and after we see the Re-killing Forces (what the JSDF has become now that the job of military around the world is primarily to kill Stacys) wheeling off a cart of bodies, Reina and the young man have become close and he has accepted the job of killing her when she comes back to life.  It isn't until the very end of the play where we see the actual scene of him killing Reina in a very long and drawn out death-match.  Before that though we get the Coffee and Milk Dance, a strange dream that the young man often has where girls dance around balancing coffee in one hand and milk in the other.  Hey, no one ever said this kid was sane. (And yes, from what I have started reading of the novel, this is in the novel.)

Masaki demonstrates the ever-famous Coffee and Milk Dance

Storyline 2 - The Stacy Who Talks and the Imprisoned Girls

  Our second storyline takes place in an all girls school where the entire school population became Stacys simultaneously and the Re-killing Forces are now using it as a way to study the patterns of the Stacys.  We meet a very unique Force member who pretends to sing and dance with the Stacys before killing them off as if it is a game.  Except one of the Stacys seems to respond to him as he is about to kill her.  This is the one played by Riho.  She seems to be saying "Help me" which catches the man off guard because Stacys can't talk.  And the fact that Riho resembles his sister who had to kill when she turned.

As the rest of the force members come in ready to clean up the bodies they go to kill this last remaining one before being stopped by crazy man.  They won't believe him when he says she talked because that simply can't be, Stacys don't talk.  Stacys don't have emotions or react to anything, they simply search for meat.  Before they can override crazy man and kill Riho anyways they learn that in another part of the school a truly insane man (driven so by the job he has had to do all these years) has released the locks on all the rooms containing Stacys and the school is in complete chaos.  This storyline is never fully wrapped up, we simply see the Stacys and the Force members fighting and presume that most of the force members are killed.  At the end though all members do hear Riho's Stacy speak and are thrown into disbelief.  This news spreads as a rumor around the country.

Storyline 3 - Drew, the Stacy Hunter

At the opening of this third story we see a hilarious song and dance that is an advertisement for chainsaws that are "sure to get the re-killing done right", and a young girl named Drew.

The last story focuses on Drew, a character played by Kuduu.  She is 13 years old and 11 months, so just before the period where she may become a Stacy.  And she has some special powers that allow her to attack and kill Stacys without having an actual sharp weapon in her hand.

After the opening commercial scene we see her entering what is presented as an abandoned building and approaching a young man who is leading a Stacy (Ayumi) on a leash.  We learn that it is his girlfriend and he is not going to let her be killed.  He swears that she can control her urges and is still the same girl, though we see her straining at the end of her chain to try and kill the young man while his back is turned.

Drew sees this as well and explains to the man that she is simply doing her job, her job to kill Stacys with these mysterious powers she has.  When asked about her name she explains that her name is actually 公江（Kimie) but because of how the character looks she is always called Hamue and decided to rename herself after Drew Barrymore.

She is finally persuaded by the young man to help him hide his Stacy just as the Re-killing Forces arrive and misunderstand the situation.  They are being told to not take any chances and so end up killing Drew before she has become a Stacy (though we know at this point she is in the Near Happiness stage) .

The scene changes and we hear reports of how Stacys are now evolving and becoming stronger, especially those who show mysterious powers are coming back to life with those powers ten-fold.  So an order is given to kill girls before they become Stacys, as soon as they display the Near Happiness signs of laughter and frolicking.

And so the Force Members arrive at what is a hospice for girls about to become Stacys run by a kind but very stupid doctor.  He constantly gets punched and kicked by the Stacys around him, with the girls using the excuse that they are Near Happiness and cannot help themselves.

And here is where all three stories collide.  The boy and Ayumi Stacy arrive at the hospice, with the doctor being amused at what he sees as keeping a Stacy as a pet.  Then Drew arrives, though we know she has been killed, and yet is still able to talk to the soon-to-become Stacys about not giving up hope.  Ayumi speaks in front of everyone, including the forces that have arrived and they realize the rumors are true.  And the Near Happiness girls along with Drew agree to cover for the boy and Ayumi Stacy who seem to be able to form a bond and should go off and create a new life that is half-Stacy half-human.  Reina's Stacy has also been wandering even though she should have been dead and we are left at the end of the story seeing a new world of Stacys being reborn.

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At least that is all I remember.   Of course there are many more details that I don't know where to put in or just how accurate I can relate them to the story but the main thing I want to say is that this musical (yes it is indeed a full musical, with lots of very difficult to sing lyrics about killing and god being a fun-loving madman) is amazing!  It isn't an idol musical.  It is a well-produced and well-rehearsed production.

In many cases the girls are running around so quickly on stage that one mistake could make a few of them end up on a pile on the floor.  All of the girls did an excellent job and portrayed the emotionless Stacys quite well.

Riho, I must say, has gotten a lot of control over her voice recently.   A solo song her character had involved a lot of range and she was able to pull it off flawlessly.  I could say I want Kanon to be the main character, but just because she is my oshi that doesn't mean it is always what I want.  She did excellent in her role and danced fiercely (often on my side of the stage)

I can't wait for the DVD of this to come out.  I want to see it again so badly that if I didn't have work tomorrow night I would pay for the Ustream to see it again.  Anyone who can watch the Ustream should, it is well worth the price of paying for it.

I leave you with a shot from the press performance.

Morning Musume 2012 Spring Tour Ultra Smart

This is a place keeper until I get time to fully write out my experience from May 6th at Nakano Sunplaza.

Actually, think I am gonna go ahead and give up on this one.

The concert I attended is the same one released on the USB and I definitely recommend watching it.  There were a couple of songs I wasn't expecting, Goodbye Natsuo and Aki Urara, both of which were performed wonderfully.

Also, Aika really was doing her best from the Nakano concerts on to dance as much as possible, and she did really well.  She was still only in the songs she had been in up til now but she performed most of the dances, though modified, off on one side of the stage.  I did tear up a bit when she came out and was dancing, realizing that she is such a great performer but has made the hard decision to leave.

I look forward to seeing how the 10 members do at the summer concerts.

I will see the zombie novel-based play on Thursday and there will definitely be a write up of that, until then, here is a smiling picture of Zukki to make your day.

Smileage Mega Bank Vol.5 ~2nd Year Entry Special~

On May 12th I attended Smileage Mega Bank Volume 5 which was an early celebration of their 2 year anniversary (not counting their indies year and despite the fact that Smileage now is not the same Smileage as it was this same time last year).

Because I have work on Saturday I knwe I was going to be arriving to the venue with no time to spare, so as soon as my last class was finished I rushed out to jump on trains and hope there were no delays.  Well, even with no delays in my just under an hour of traveling, I entered into the venue  as the opening VTR was rolling.  Phew, I had made it.  With absolutely no glowsticks and exhausted from a long day at work I found my seat and collapsed in it to await the start of the event.


The only ever Smileage Fanclub Event I have attended was Megabank Volume 2 which took place about a month after their major debut, so I wasn't sure what to expect going into this one.  I just knew that in both the first and second they had done challenges which involved the audience and were a lot of fun, and that the fourth one was when they held Yuuka's graduation.


This one, turned out to be completely different.  Usually a FC event is a bunch of activities and talk with a mini concert at the end.  This time, the activities and songs were intermixed.  The theme was a school setting.  During Homeroom we learn that Take-chan's father is being transferred overseas so this will be her last day in the school.  Ayacho is the standoff classmate who doesn't really care about the others but even she gets up and gives Take-chan a present when the others do.  However, none of the presents are actually useful items, used scrunchies, something lying around the girl's room, etc.  


Homeroom finishes and if I remember they moved on to Social Studies next, asking them various questions related to different areas in Japan.  Was quite amusing to hear some of the answers.  I am no good at the geography of Japan myself though so I could sympathize.  They also did a "cooking" class where they used pots and pans to make music (think Stomp!) to the rhythm of the food they wanted to make.  It was really well rehearsed and fun to clap along to.  The third (though maybe not in that order) class... well I actually forgot which class they were mimicking, but I remember what happened hehe.  


Need to do these reports closer to the event date but the last two weeks have been crazy.


The third class involved them doing "3-sided box game".  Now, for those of you unfamiliar, this involves having the open side of the box facing the audience and the other three sides closed so that the participants have to put their arms in through holes in the sides or top and try to guess what the object is by feeling it.  This might seem simple and non-threatening, but I'm sure it's not when you are the one doing it.  And on top of that, the audience is supposed to act like the thing in the box is something gross/frightening no matter what it is.  


In this case, the object was cauliflower, cut in half, with one piece hanging and one laying on the bottom of the box.  After each girl had her turn of touching the object, including Kanana (who barely touched the object without freaking out and running across the stage then back to her seat) they took their guesses.  The closest guess was broccoli but that was not considered good enough.  The bravest of the six is Take-chan, she broke off a piece of the object to try and feel it better.  Kanyon was also feeling the object quite a bit, so her and Take were the ones who guessed broccoli.  I think they should have taken that as correct because I don't think broccoli and cauliflower feel all that different myself.  Ah well.


At the end of their three classes the final school bell rings and then Take-chan gets an email from her father.  Turns out she doesn't have to move after all!  So all the girls take back their gifts (except for Kanana who offers to let Take keep it, but Take doesn't want it) and return to their seats.


In between each class period they sang a different song, which I thought was a good way to mix the songs into the activities.  Songs included Chotto Matte Kudasai, Suki-chan (with extended cheering time for all six girls), Dot Bikini and two or 3 others that I am blanking out on.


At the end of the event they talked about how they felt (the one I went to was the last of all six time-slots).  One thing Ayacho said stood out to a lot of people and kind of hinted that she might not be completely happy with Smileage as it is.  She talked about how relieved she was there were no sudden VTRs to spoil the moment and how the Smileage she was standing there with was nothing like what she imagined it would be from one year before.  Nothing she said was really negative, but you could tell that there have been a lot of things going through her head this past year. 


The six members do seem to work well now though they still have a long way to go.  Kanyon seems to get along with the 2nd gen just fine, but she was the one who took the announcement the best from the beginning.  Ayacho is just getting there but I think she has finally really grasped what it means to be a leader and is doing her best to push Smileage higher.


With the announcement of the first Smileage Bus Tour, it seems like this is a step in the right direction.  ^^


I leave you with a cute picture of Kanyon I found online.  It's her card from the mobile card battle game.

Tsunku's movie - Atsuhime Number 1!

So haven't posted on here in a long time huh?  Well, that's because I haven't gone to ANY HP related events, too busy and no concerts in my area right now.  So sorry I have been absent from blogging for a while.

But that all changed today when I went to see the movie Tsunku was executive producer of, Atsuhime Number 1! Starring in the movie were Yossi, Rika, Yuko, Tokki, Tsunku himself, Dandy (the "gets" guy), among others.

Looking at this poster you probably think, I have no clue what this movie could be about.  So, here's the trailer.
Still no clue, well here's the basic plot:

The famous Atsu-princess is very reluctant to go off to Edo to be married to the Shogun so she tries continually to run away from Tae (her caretaker played by Yuko) and Mitsu (her guard ninja played by Tokki) and ends up on the edge of a field looking up at a meteor.  She wishes to be somewhere far away and her wish is granted as she ends up in the middle of Hakone in modern day Japan.  Picked up by an otaku artist and his girlfriend (who works as a hostess)  the three are taken to their apartment in downtown Tokyo and proceed to be surprised by everything around them.  Mitsu even throws a shuriken into the telephone as it rings.

Taken to the hostess' workplace out of curiosity at women working on their own Atsu is convinced to try out hostessing for one night.  Right away she crosses path with the current No.1 at the club Ami (played by Yossi) and the two are instant rivals, especially after Atsu and a customer have a near violent fight.

Their competition starts from that encounter and we see Atsu grow more and more accustomed to life in the modern age, so accustomed that when the customer she previously fought confesses his love to her she really wants to stay.  But along with learning a secret about Ami and why she needs to be No.1 so badly, she also overhears a conversation between the otaku and Tae about how drastically history may change if she doesn't go back.  And so she makes the difficult decision to go back, prompting a tearful goodbye scene when the man who loves her runs to where she is waiting for the meteor to pass by again so that Tae and her can go home.  (Mitsu has fallen in love with the janitor at the hostess club and decided to stay in the modern age.)

~~~~~

Overall I would say it is a comedy but it has some very touching moments to.  There is a great scene where Atsu finds out Ami's secret and has a heart-to-heart with her that really changes how she views the girl she has had such a fierce rivalry with.

Then, comedy-wise, there are many scenes with Tsunku (playing himself) in and out of the club where due to Mitsu's rashness he is put to sleep with drugs several times while trying to creep on the hostesses he is enamored with.

I definitely recommend this movie to anyone in Japan or anyone who can see the DVD when it is released.  Though I would suggest waiting for it to be subbed because the Japanese the three Edo-period ladies use is old-styled Japanese.  Great movie though ^^

Kikkawa You's first Solo Concert : Kikka Fes 2012/02/19

Putting aside the fact I am still behind on reports from December, let me give you a brief rehash of last night's Kikka Fes Part 3.

I wasn't sure if I would get the chance to apply for this one, but when I was in Tower Records the last week of January and they happened to have some of the first press of her album so I went ahead and bought it.  Submitted the code online and then waited.  I wasn't too concerned whether I got in or not, but was super excited when I checked the results and saw that I got in, and number 77 to boot.

So yesterday after coffee with friends I headed to the familiar host-club district of Kabukicho where the live was to be held.  It was freezing outside but I knew the live was standing so I brought jackets that could either be stuffed in my bag or wrapped around my waist and headed inside when it was my time.  I didn't end up exchanging my drink ticket because I wanted a good spot.

And I got one.  I was able to find something just to the left of center in what basically became second row with a perfect view.

The entire live was great.  Kikkawa gives a very powerful performance that if anyone hasn't checked out yet they definitely should.  I am sure someone saved the Ustream of the performance so if you find it give it a look later.

As promised she performed every song off of her album, kicking off the live with her latest single "Konna atashi de yokattara"  and for a surprise encore performed the same song one more time.  She had 3 different outfits, her three single outfits.  She actually had a bit of a happening two or three songs in when the bottom of her boot broke off.  She went backstage to change it, and what she changed into happened to be her own warm winter boots.  Silly Kikka, those heeled boots weren't meant for dancing.  Course all three of her outfits have pretty high heels so it is quite amazing that she can dance the whole time in them.

To show the power of Universal, Kikka had two professional back up dancers for some of her songs, both very beautiful and talented women, though obviously the audience's eyes were on Kikka.  When the dancers were introduced though, some members in the audience started shouting their names as they left the stage, to which an irked Kikka replied "Hey, don't tell me you found another favorite!"  Naw, you are too talented and funny to look away from.

Not much to comment on the set list, besides the fact that all of the songs from the album worked great live.  Even while singing ballads, Kikka's strong voice doesn't waver.  I loved "Aitakunattara" live and I am not usually a ballad fan.

At the end of what turned out to be a full concert (interrupted by two vtrs of Kikka's path until now) there was a handshake as you were leaving.  I told Kikka I had fun, and after saying thankyou normally in Japanese she appeared to recognize me and gave a weird grunt before saying "Ho!  See you" and waving very cheerfully at me as I was pushed away.

Don't worry Kikka, you will definitely see me again soon, I promise it.

Hello Project Winter 2012 - HaroPro Tengoku ~Funky-chan~ Part 2

And I'm back.  Wow, I actually managed to come back and finish this the next day.  (Report on Smileage handshake and last release event with Yuuka to still come... eventually)

So continuing where I left off...

Koisuru Angel Heart (By Mano, Ayacho, Kanyon, Fuku-chan, Take-chan, Rinapu, Kuduu ）
This was another song that I started spazzing as soon as the opening came on.  I mean, what is not to love about a song that has wota-gei built into it?  I did feel a pang of nostalgia remembering the few times I saw Viyuuden perform this song, but it was good nostalgia.  I only wish Yui-chan hadn't complete left the entertainment industry to become a dental hygienist.  I mean... really, with that body THAT was the career you chose?  Anyways, this was the perfect member set up for the song.  Although originally sung by 3 members, this song has often been used as a group ending song to concerts and works well with large groups.  I was sad to learn after that Kuduu was supposed to part of this, so I look forward to seeing her on the DVD.  Take-chan was probably the one who caught my eye the most during the song. I know, as a Kanyon fan I should have had all eyes for Cinderalla, but something about Take-chan's dancing really caught me.  She is very energetic and gives off a lot of power when performing.  It felt like they didn't really need Mano and Fuku-chan as this would have been fine as just a Smileage member song.

Yaruki! It's easy (By Sayumi, Maimi, Chinami, Yurina, Haruna)
Another song that I never would have expected to hear.  While a very well known song, it is an older song that is not often brought back so it was a welcome surprise.  I love the lyrics to the song, the idea of where there is a will there is a way.  It's a very positive way to start off what is hopefully a less eventful event for Japan than last year.  I know many seem to have low opinions of Haruna, but she is becoming a fitting Musume member.  Her dances still aren't perfect, but as someone with absolutely no experience coming into the business at 17, she is doing quite well.  She seems a bit lost as to what character she should take on, sometimes giving off a childish air and other times acting like your normal 17 year old, but that will settle with time.  Sayumi also did quite well with this song because it is the right style for her voice and I am assuming it is a song that she likes since she has said on radio shows that she puts more effort into her singing when it is a song she likes.  (Not really something you should admit in public Sayu...)

Ai no Sono ~Touch My Heart~ (By Reina, Miyabi, Rihoriho, Daishi)
Ah, the "Touch my heart and touch me please" song.  I have missed you.  I might be wrong, but the last time I recall seeing this song live was at the Elder Club graduation in 2009.  (Wow, it was that long ago that they "graduated") I absolutely LOVE this song because it is always a karaoke favorite.  It's upbeat, has a simple dance for the "Hey, everytime I'm so proud of you" part that the audience can follow along with and for the rest of the song gives the members on stage a chance to show off their dancing skills.  And this was the perfect member combination to do that.  All four are excellent dancers and Daishi will definitely be giving Rihoriho a run for her money.  I was a bit shocked by Miyabi's short hair back at Yomiuri, but it has grown on me and she now looks fierce dancing with it. 

Kikkawa You performing Konna Watashi de Yokattara
 After getting to briefly chat with her at Tsutaya I was really looking forward to her performance.  And a guest is a step up from being an opening act.  It's getting more and more obvious that eventually she will just be added to the Hello!Project umbrella, even if her agency stays as Universal.  Universal obviously has no plans to prevent her from being involved with things of her former agency (assuming she would be under UFA as an Egg) and that makes me happy.  I am happy she became a soloist and with Universal's direction, because after seeing her perform live a few times it's quite obvious that her voice is much stronger than your average idol voice.  She definitely holds her own on stage and her smile lights up the room.  There was one rude wota somewhere behind me that when Kikka announced her song title (which means "If I am OK as I am for you" (It's a hard title to translate so if anyone has any other ideas let me know)) shouted "It's not OK!" GRR I wanted to turn around and slap the boy.  Most wota are awesome people who just have a big obsession, but yeah there are a few bad eggs.  Kikka, I wish you the best of luck and will continue to follow you.

Please Mini-skirt Post Woman - Uchouten Love (By Smileage)
After seeing them live without Yuuka, 6-member Smileage is going to do just fine.  I was hoping to see the new single, but that was apparently only being performed at the Rock-chan concerts.  The formation for Mini-skirt does look a little strange with 6 instead of 7 as it was formed with a center, but to make up for this they seemed to have them dance in a line instead of an arrow (if that makes sense)  All six girls work well together and even Kanana has learned to stop grinning during every point in the song and make different expressions for different lyrics.  Now, why haven't they announced a Smileage spring tour!!! Even a mini one would be nice...

Doki Doki Baby - Glory Days (By Mano Erina)
I have always been in the middle when it comes to Mano, but I don't actually dislike her.  Her voice certainly is of a quality that you either like or dislike, but personality-wise she is an absolute sweetheart and I loved the handshake I did with her a couple of years ago (for her 4th single I think).  I don't know if I would ever go to her solo concerts, but I don't ignore her and half-sleep during her performances at the group concerts like I have seen some people do.  I didn't really like My Days for You but I loved Genkimono de Ikou and these two new songs reminded me of that style.  Both are very upbeat and fun to sing along and chant to.  The dance for Glory Days is quite intense yet both Mano and her 4 eggs (no clue who the new ones are since a few changed due to promotions etc) pulled it off flawlessly.  I look forward to checking out her anime debut.


Kimi ha Jitensha Watashi ha Densha de Kitaku (By C-ute)
I hadn't heard the concert rip preview of this song before going to the concert so was very surprised that it was a ballad.  C-ute went through a lot of changes after the two members left, and they have challenged a lot of new styles, really building up a new image for themselves.  Until this point they were marketing themselves as the dance idol unit of the company so to come out with a ballad... well ballads don't really involve a lot of dancing.  However, it is a very simple yet beautiful song.  All five girls have strong voices that are each featured (with not TOO much line hogging by Airi and Maimi) throughout the song.  The red outfits are also very cute.  A nice relaxing performance.

Be Genki "Naseba Naru!" (By Berryz Koubou)
First off, the superman costumes are brilliant.  I love how they used the group color of blue with bright red capes.  The only odd thing is well... Yurina.  She is over a head taller than most of the other girls in the group, and yet her costume is very obviously cut to the same length.  The skirt is the same, the boots are the same.  So... it ends up that she is showing a lot more of her legs than the other girls just because her legs are that much longer but wearing the same length and size of clothing.  It's quite amusing actually, they definitely should have lengthened her skirt and boots just a little so they wouldn't contrast so much with the rest of the girls' outfits. 

Anyways back to the song.  It's a great upbeat song that reminds me of the old Berryz(before they had their Inazuma collaboration).  I love it and can't wait for the CD to come out.

Ike Ike Monkey Dance - Tokkaiko Junjou  - Shock - Heroine ni Narou Ka - Ai no Dangan - Sayonara Geshiki Koi - JUMP - Cho Wonderful (By Berikyuu)
I was a bit apprehensive coming into the concert because a friend just leaving the morning stage said it seemed to be all about Berikyuu and I of course pictured them being over featured  with Musume and Smileage being pushed to the back (in fact it was just Mano who was given less stage time).  Yes, they were featured, but in the most awesome medley of all time!  I mean these are the songs that really keep me interested in Cute and Berryz.  Tokkaiko Junjou is probably one of my favorite C-ute songs and Sayonara one of the best Berryz album songs.  Even the two newer Berryz songs are two of my favorites from the Inazuma to post-Inazuma era.  And wow as it a high-powered medley.  There was no time to rest, it was just jumping and cheering the whole time.  I was completely exhausted by the end of it.  They had a great routine on stage, with the group whose song it was rotating slightly to the front but all members performing the dance to each.  Berikyuu really do work well together.  To the point where they almost might as well form them into one permanent group.

Pyoko Pyoko Ultra - Go Girl! Koi no Victory (By Musume)
I was wondering how they would pull off performing in baby chick costumes when they came out in completely different outfits from the PV.  White capri pants with yellow jackets and hats, though Risa was wearing red feathers in her hair instead of a hat (I suppose to denote her as the rooster?)  Apparently they did perform in the chick costumes for the Rock-chan version, but something simple and fun was chosen for Funky-chan.  Although overly simplified, the girls looked cute and were able to dance easily.  This song was where it was most obvious that Kuduu was missing, because one of the dance moves is meant to have Kuduu on the right side of a formation using her arm as a bridge that one of the girls is trying to go under.  So it ended up being just one girl with her arm outstretched and the other girl trying to break through a one-sided bridge.  It looked strange but they had no time to modify it with Kuduu having performed in the morning concert but unable to perform in the rest of the days' events. 

I fall in love with this song more each time I hear it.  I love the "Pyoko pyoko pyoko Jump" parts as everyone in the audience tries to jump as high as they can.  Also Reina and Sayu play up their lines so well, especially the "Look at me!" "And don't laugh".  I love it and think it was a good way to introduce the new Musume with its overwhelming two generations of younger members.  I do hope for something a bit more mature for Gaki-san's last in May, but would not be disappointed with something upbeat and cheerful along the same lines as this one.  Again though, seriously why couldn't Aika sit on the side to at least perform the Musume songs?

OK Yeah! (By All)

A Musume album song as a near-closing group song, can it work?  Oh, hell yes it can!  This is the perfect upbeat dance number to end a concert with.  In fact, it probably would have been great as the final number.  I laughed the first time I heard it because of the weird frog dance man sound effects, but after hearing it more and seeing at budoukan I was hooked.  Musume was featured as main, but everyone performed 100 percent.  It was amazing to see such a fast-paced song performed by all 29 girls on stage.  Good going girls.  Can't wait to see this when it's out on DVD.

Kono Chikyuu no Heiwa wo Honki de Negattarun da yo!
aka the song with the unnecessarily long title.  This, this wasn't the best song to end with.  It was performed well and is a good song to end in most cases, but not when it is following OK Yeah! which would have been the perfect ending.  Still, the song did not disappoint.  The dance works well with large groups so there was no awkwardness of members transitioning from upstage to downstage etc.  They seem to have toned down the head bobbing move as they diva point, which was one of my favorite moves.  A little strange to see this song without Ai but not disappointing.  All of the girls are learning to hold their own in Musume and I am looking forward to the spring tour.
~~~~~~


 Overall, this was an amazing concert.  The set list had so many nostalgic songs for me, and all were good ones.  I would have loved to see Rock-chan too but the winter/summer concerts are simply too pricey to see more than once.  I enjoyed the one I went to even though I was sad to see Aika's jip of an appearance and Kuduu being sick.  My one complaint was the MC's outfits.  They were both (Makoto and Yossy) in gold WTF shiny outfits.  Yossy's looked OK, pants with a long shirt/dress over them.  A bit too flash but somehow OK.  But Makoto... oh poor poor Makoto.  Gold shiny tuxedo is just not an attractive look for the guy.  And it's funny when he is introduced as Sharan Q's drummer - because the opportunity for him to drum comes up almost never. (Tsunku, your band does need you occasionally)

My next event is the Aika FC Event this Thursday, January 12.

Here's a pic of Zukky to leave you with after this essay.

 Cheerleader outfit from the B.L.T. Magazine shoot set.

Hello Project Winter 2012 - HaroPro Tengoku ~Funky-chan~ Part 1

Happy New Year!  A little late, but still worth saying, right?  So on January 3rd the boyfriend and I headed out to Nakano for the second concert of a day filled with 3 concerts.  Strangely enough the pattern was Funky-Funky-Rock.  I really hoped for Rock, but Funky did not disappoint.

After arriving at Nakano, we first headed up to Tsutaya so I could pick up Kikka's CD for the handshake that was to take place there later in the day.  After a quick lunch, we headed over to the venue and since the line was short I headed up to get goods.  From about a year ago I have held back on buying goods, preferring to save the money to do other events both related and non-related to Hello Project.  Plus, I am running out of places to put things x_x  So yeah, the only things I bought were the giant B-1 poster (probably to go in the spot that is currently taken up by the Rival Survival poster of the same size), Zukki's daily photo (so cute, and so mature looking recently), and 4 gatcha tries.  Well, all 4 were the lowest rung, so I got solo pictures.  After trading I ended up with pictures of Momochi, Zukki, Meimei, and Kanyon.  Not bad.  I wanted either Meimei or Kuduu but Kuduu was impossible with what I had (Rinapuu) and Meimei is just too adorable to resist.

With goods bought, it was time to head back to Tsutaya for the handshake with Kikka.  Kikka is such a kind and amazing person.  She really makes eye contact with you and her speaking seems so natural, her laugh is also very cute. She seemed to recognize me and I told her I was looking forward to her performance that day.  I will definitely continue to follow her in the future.

Soon we were headed inside, where I realized they were selling special Xmas chocolate boxes for FC members, so was sucked into buying one of those, in which I got a Reina pic.  It's actually quite a cute pic though so I am thinking of keeping it.  Then it was into the hall and down to the front section where our seats were.  I was surprised that after front row at Budoukan I ended up with even 9th row at Nakano (which is actually about 12th due to a "Row 0" that can be moved into various formations) and the view we had was great.  Though, I think I Have mentioned it before, but Nakano Sunplaza just is a great venue.  No matter where you are on 1st or 2nd floor you can easily enjoy yourself.  At other venues, if you are more than 10 rows back, seeing becomes difficult for those of us that are short.

Well, with my モ　shirt on from a couple of years ago, wristbands galore, and both a green and purple glowstick (which was complete fail as it died 2 songs in) I was ready and raring to go.  So off to the bathroom I went and was given some shocking news over the loudspeaker on the way back: Kuduu would not be performing in the rest of that days concerts due to illness after the first concert.  Later on in the day we were informed she had influenza... and apparently passed it to Maasa who was announced to be not participating in today's (1/8) concerts on the official website.  I really hope this week between concerts cuts off the chain so no one else comes down with the flu. 

Now, for highlights of the concert, intermixed with the set list of the day.  (The set lists are usually taken from Japanese blogs as I do not have a good memory for songs and the order they are sung in.  Today's set list is brought to you by http://luncht.exblog.jp/14358683/  and transliterated by me)

Opening Dance by the 12 (11) New Members
With Kuduu missing it is important to note that some of the dances for songs she was a part of did seem a little strange, as there was very obviously a missing link.  However, the opening dance was formed in a way that even with one member missing the strength of the dance was not lessened at all.  The dance itself actually wasn't all that complicated of one (you can see them practicing it on the Mobekimasu youtube channel here) but it was a good way to show off the new members without putting too much pressure on the performance.  I pictured them opening the concert as it being a song, but this was actually a good way to introduce them without making it seem like the concert was all about them.  Not that that would be a bad thing, all 12 have been great additions so far.

Busu ni Naranai Tetsugaku
Of course they had to do this song first since they have really been pushing the idea of MBCMS this year.  Since 11 of the members had been dancing previously, those members had to rush offstage (as everyone else was rushing on) in order to quickly zip up their stage outfits.  I wasn't paying too much attention to the opening of the song as I was frantically searching for Aika, ya know having it been announced that she would be in the concert though in a light manner.  Well, I am sure I am not the only one who imagined that "light manner" as being just coming out for a couple of MCs.  I mean, really?  She was performing sitting down for two months before finally being told she couldn't perform at all, pretty sure she could sit on the side and sing just fine by now.  Was a little bit disappointing but ah well.  Will see how she does at the FC event I am going to later this week.

With 29 members and several Eggs (or Research Students as they are called now) the stage was packed.  And yet, all the members performed very well.  Hmm, funny how dancing AND singing at the same isn't an impossible thing to do (like a certain other massive group seems to think it is)   And this type of strong performance, regardless of whether the singing is Broadway level or not, is why I love Hello Project. 

Medley: Inspiration ~ Ryuusei Boy ~ Massara Blue Jeans ~ Renai Revolution 21 
A great selection of songs, even RR21.  I agree with many others that the song is overdone, it works with group concerts.  It's a fun song that gets everyone in the audience dancing.  Inspiration is a song that I never thought I would hear at a current group concert so it was a very refreshing surprise.  A classic song that really brings out the youth in all of the current members.  Ryuusei is one of the better Inazuma-tied Berryz songs in my opinion, and really who could hate Massara (another one of those songs the audience knows the whole dance to)

The most interesting thing with this medley was how they rotated each group to the front as it was their song, even though all groups sang each one of the songs, they put the main onto the group it came from.  So I was surprised that S/mileage and Mano didn't have a song in the medley.  Maybe they have more of a role in Rock-chan?



Moshimo... (By Maasa, Maimai, Kanyon, Kanana, and Meimei)

This was the coupling to Busu, right?  As a semi-ballad, it is not the type of song I listen to very often.  However, every time I hear it I do find myself humming along.  The member choice was, well it wasn't what I would expect for a song of this genre (Meimei and Kanana being the ones I would take out) but it actually worked quite well.  If I remember correctly, Meimei wasn't given too many lines, which worked fine because her voice isn't up to ballad standards, and Kanana's voice stood out to me a lot more than I remember it doing so before.  The five made it work and it was a good song to just hum along to and take a little bit of a break after the medley.



Uwaki na Honey Pie (By Captain, Momochi, Risako, Nakky, Okai, Eripon, Masaki)
I practically said Kyaa!  as soon as the opening for this song came on.  I love this song!  And I mean love to the point that no matter how many times my iPod decides it wants to play it I just cannot skip it.  What a surprise to hear such an old song pop up here, though it certainly fits the Funky image.  The girls all did a great job with the dance and energy necessary for the song.

Seishun no Custard (By Gaki-san, Airi)
At first, I was practically kicking myself as I ran it over and over in my head, wondering just what this song could be.  I knew it was Gatas, that was for certain.  But was it... oh it was!  It was the Yossy song!  How could I forget even for a moment that Yossy had been involved in such an awesome pair song.  (Though I must admit I secretly hoped that it was also the "Oh Je-e-sus" song just for laughs.  Gaki and Airi are both very powerful singers, and as a pair they matched perfectly.  Girls, you did Yossy proud.


--- As a side here, I would like to note my thoughts about Gaki's graduation.  I was not shocked nor saddened.  I was a little surprised, mainly because I thought it would be in the fall.  But, she has been in the group over 10 years, and in the natural order of things it didn't seem like she would be around long now that the graduation rotation has gone back into pace again.  I think many new fans are shocked (new being the ones who joined after 8th gen came in and before Koharu graduated) because they didn't see this rotation.  Yet before the lapse after Miki's scandal, this was pretty normal.  Once a year is a bit close, yes, but not unheard of.  And the group is supposed to change.  No, it is not the Musume I came to know 10+ years ago, but that is not something that angers or saddens me.  Each formation of Musume is its own group and yet carries the legacy of the past with it.  I am sure the group will do just fine without Gaki and look forward to seeing who is announced as leader during the spring concert.

Yokohama Shinkiro (By Chisato)
Wow can Chisato sing.  It's only really in the past year that I have started noticing Chisato more.  And thanks to a friend who is completely in love with her, I see all the appeal she has.  She has a very powerful voice and has worked hard to bring her dancing up to the level of the other C-ute members.  I love this song, it's a Gocchin classic.  And it requires the edge that Chisato's voice has, not some sweet cutesy voice that many might prefer in an idol.  A very enjoyable performance with quite an intense dance.

Sotto Kuchizukete Gyutto Dakishimete (By Yurina)
I　actually just looked this song up on Youtube because I couldn't remember which of the 4 soloists had sung it.  I had thought it was a Gocchin song, so was surprised to find out it was Mikitty.  I guess the main solo song I associate with her is Romantic Ukare Mode due to the fun wota dance it entails.  The song suited Yurina's voice perfectly, and she held out each note with slight pauses where they needed to be for emphasis.  I think it every time I see her but DAMN is that girl tall.


To be continued in part 2... (cuz I'm sleepy)