2 posts tagged “koharu kusumi”

(I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever be able to catch up on the J-pop world. Even if I don't, that's okay...I guess.)

So the general consensus about "Hana wo Pu~n!" is that even if we hate it, some eight-year-old out there probably adores it - hell, we saw that video clip of a whole crowd of uncoordinated children doing the "pu~n" moves along with Koharu and Mai.

Of course, I can't see my eight-year-old self enjoying this song at all. This could be because I was a rather odd kid - I didn't watch TV or play video games. I spent all my time reading. So maybe my childhood was warped or something, because I know for a fact that a lot of kids in my third-grade class might come close to worshiping this song if it had been around in ye olde 2001.

Actually, when I was little, I used to listen to Radio Disney a lot. I liked music, had no CDs, and this was the only station I knew because it was the only one our teachers would let us listen to. Radio Disney music annoyed my dad a LOT, and he used to parody the songs they played and sing them around the house. I can easily imagine him doing that to this song. Even if he didn't know what it meant. (Actually, admitting that I used to listen to Radio Disney to the entire blogosphere embarasses me a lot less than remembering the parodies my dad used to sing. I'm trying to figure out whether it's because my dad is totally embarrassing, or his singing just sucks that much...um, I love my family. Really, I do.)

And oh my God, there goes Koharu again with those totally awesome pigtails. Koha's hair was MADE for pigtails like that, all soft and shiny looking. I am having a total spaz attack right now. Those pigtails are just so goddamn PERFECT.

I'm very mixed on this song. I really don't like listening to it, and yet I find myself doing so, just so I can listen to the "Haaanaaa haaaanaaa hana hana hanahanahanahanahanaHANA WO PU~N!" at the beginning. The song isn't catchy in the same way other H!P songs are, but that "hana wo PU~N" really sticks with you.

I really do not understand why they are making all those squares and hearts in this video. Maybe I need a translation, because I can't tell what this has to do with noses.

Those animals also kind of disturb me. Who the hell is IN those suits, and how much did they get paid to do that? H!P has had some pretty weird PVs, but I'm starting to think "Hana wo Pu~n!" is the weirdest. Even the Berryz' imaginary basketball can't top this.

Okay, seriously, am I the only one that finds that swinging, snotty nose in the background totally distracting? (Everyone talks about how disgusting it is, but I haven't read a blog yet where someone mentions staring at the nose instead of the girls...) I mean, I can't even look at Koharu and Mai (not that I want to, what with those pants) because I'm totally hypnotized by that NOSE. It's...it's horrible. Terrible. And so goddamn fascinating!

It's kind of sad to watch, really, how they try to make Koha and Mai the same height in the close-ups, but once they get to the full-body shots, the height difference is painfully obvious.

"Futari wa NS", on the other hand, is very nice. It reminds me a little of "Koi ING" - slower than the typical H!P song (especially one from Koharu and Mai) but not as slow as Ayaya's ballads are. (I have, of course, never managed to get more than halfway through Ayaya's ballads, so I could be wrong.) I don't think Koharu and Mai's voices are suited to it, but they carry it off pretty well. I'm also really fond of the way that they do that "Wa-ta-shi noooooo~" It's just one of the parts in the song that stick out to me.

This song also has the added bonus of remaining youthful while not crossing the line into WTFville. Youthful doesn't always have to mean crack-induced. Just saying.

I don't really like the magnet in "Futari wa NS". It's so simple and comes somewhat close to elegant (considering who's singing, anyway), but then they bust out that gigantic magnet and it just loses whatever maturity it managed to have.

On the other hand, I adore their dresses. Pink and blue seem to be duo colors: we saw them in W and we're seeing them again in Kira*Pika. Maybe Kira*Pika is like a replacement W? Certainly they have around the same maturity that W had, though I don't think Koharu and Mai are the BFF forever!!1!11!!eleventyone!!1 that Tsujikago were made out to be. (Even the song has that sort of "through thick and thin" vibe.) It's starting to seem that Up-Front is in a rush to mold them into best-friend duos and other kinds of personalities, instead of letting the girls' personas grow naturally. I mean, one could argue with Takitty that she needs to be molded into something, because leaving her alone for six years hasn't done crap, but Aika and the pandas are still new, so Up-Front better back off on their part.

Though actually, after watching several "Onna ni Sachi Are"-related performances, appearances, and making-of type things, Takitty seems to finally be growing into her own. She seems much more quirky and demanding of attention than she has in the past.

BUT ANYWAY. This is about Kira*Pika.

I also really can't believe it took me this long (kind of like how it took me forever to figure out why everyone called Momoko "the peachy one") but I finally figured out the Kira*Pika thing: besides the whole Kirarin Revolution thing, kira-kira is Japanese for "glittering" and pika-pika is Japanese for "sparkling". Or something along those lines. Ahahaha, Chiakii iz so smart.

I'm probably going to get burned at a stake for saying this, but I'm not all that fond of Hagiwara Mai. She just doesn't suck me in the way Maimi does or Megukami (*cries* I ain't over her either) did. I love Koharu to death, but this unit isn't doing much for me so far. "Hana wo Pu~n!" is fun and...snotty and all, but in the end this unit hasn't left much of an impression on me. I can't figure out the hype around Mai. Her vocals aren't that great yet, and her personality doesn't seem to have developed. In another few years, I might be squeeing over her the way I do over the other H!P girls, but right now I'm not that into her.

Even still, I think Kira*Pika could be a little like the second coming of Minimoni. Certainly "Hana wo Pu~n!" caught the kids' attention. I'm not holding out hope for a string of books, dolls, and TV shows, but I'm not giving up on Kira*Pika. A little more Kleenex, and they could be well on their way to...well, not sucking.

 

Just, please. Next time there's a swinging nose in the background, don't let snot drip from it. That's just too much information.

...and I love it.

So, remember my review of "Koisuru Angel Heart"? Well, yeah, I actually had the PV for about a week before I got off my ass and wrote up the review. So I've had the PV for Koharu's new single, "Happy" on my computer for a while (let's try a month), but I hadn't said anything about it. And okay, so I don't have so much to say about the PV than I do about Koharu's progress. The PV is just an excuse.

I actually really like Koharu. It's really nice to have a Musume that you want to root for - the girl-next-door that might not be so good, but the fun is watching them progress and wishing them luck the whole way. I can't say that I felt that way when I went back to watch the sixth generation - Reina was already getting lines handed to her on the proverbial silver platter, Sayumi was too narcissistic and overconfident in her looks compensating for her voice (I liked Sayu once she toned down her "ichiban kawaii" act, but Rika the second she was not), and Eri...well, what was up with her, anyway? It was easy to want her to get better, but it was so hard to do anything past, "C'mon, Eri! Get some personality!" Watching old clips, I was rooting more for Eri getting a good idol persona going. Her voice? Eh, she can sing better than some current members...which may not be saying much, but hey.

But Koharu. Oh, dear Koharu. She was kinda cute, and she could kinda sing...Tsunku kinda went overboard on the "Miracle" thing. If fans hadn't been expecting a second Gocchin, I think the reception to Koha might've been warmer. Poor girl. But hey, "Iroppoi" actually kicked ass and it sold more in its first week than total sales for singles "Namida" through "Osaka". Nowhere near breaking a million copies or sparking a "LOVE MACHINE" revolution, but it was a sign of life; that Morning Musume was still alive and capable of kicking ass and fully plans on doing so. And they have been doing better - "Aruiteru" made #1 for Morning Musume, a feat unheard of since "AS FOR ONE DAY."

Something that draws me to Koharu is her enthusiasm. I've seen this mentioned before, but I'm saying it again. The other girls seem to know and realize that Morning Musume is a sinking ship that UFA isn't trying very hard to save, and don't look particularly thrilled to be there anymore. But whether she remains blissfully oblivious or is just trying to enjoy being an idol (albeit a heavily mocked one), Koharu is always grinning and happy. Hey, she has a reason to be: member of Morning Musume, with a solo career and a VA (that's VA, voice acting, not AV...) job? I'd be thrilled. (But then again, the idea of ever meeting any of the H!P girls has always appealed to me.)

And so, appropriately titled, comes her new single: "Happy." I was in Japantown today, actually, and I was going to buy it. Then I saw the price tag. Uh, yeah. That's all I'm gonna say about that.

Koharu really has been influenced by Sayumi - both of them are excellent at alternating between cute and sexy. She can be sexy in Morning Musume, but here, she's just full of cutesy, happy energy. The pigtails add to that, and by the way, those pigtails are gorgeous - all nice and smooth and soft-looking. Man, my hair never looks like that. Maybe that's why so many girls still audition to be part of the sinking Momusu ship. If anything, they get great-looking hair out of it.

The PV alternates between four scenes, all with the same outfit: Koharu on her stage dancing spastically, Koharu yelling into a pink megaphone, Koharu riding a bike, and Koharu spying on her bike-riding self. It's nice and simple and suggests that Koharu has somewhat of a split personality, though perhaps not as much of one as, say, STEP you!Ayu.

The song follows the rockish noise H!P has been adopting. It has more of a pop element when she's singing, but during the intro, you can really hear an electric guiter and drums, so we're not back to the synthesizer yet. (I hope we never will be.) Koharu's voice is a little nasally here, but it always is during her anime songs. I like her deeper voice though, the one from some of her Mitsuboshi songs. But then, that voice isn't very 'anime'. That deep voice has potential to be a winner, though.

 

Koharu has become really pretty. I mean, I don't know what happened to her! I mean, I noticed before, but she's just grown into her looks so much faster. Like, she grew into them around the time of SEXY BOY. And yet, even with all the pink and the pigtails, she manages to look silly and childish without looking like she dropped down on the pretty scale. Then again, maybe she's always been pretty and her hair took away from it - that high ponytail did not look good on her. It's interesting, how a hairstyle can change how a person looks. Yossie's always been pretty, but that Gackt hairdo...I couldn't look at her throughout "Osaka Koi no Uta."

 

This dance is really spastic. I think it was made to be that way on purpose, though, so I'll refrain from any commentary about Natsu Mayumi's choreography.

Koharu is apparently putting on a performance for her imaginary friends. There's a big light-up pink star behind her, but the lawn chairs around the stage are empty. Koharu also apparently abandons her makeshift stage every now and then to check and make sure bike!Koharu isn't breaking any speed limits.

And you know, her shirt is actually kind of low-cut. You just can't tell because she doesn't have much on her second story. (Um.) I know they've been trying to sex it up with the H!P girls, but was Koharu really a good target for that? I mean, all that lace and pinkness...could be sending some wrong messages. Then again, I could just have a very dirty mind. Carry on!

 

Unlike me, who would be scared shitless if my bike suddenly lifted up into the air at a dangerous angle, Koharu enjoys her ride to fairyland. Follow the musical notes! Follow the musical notes! Follow follow follow follow the musical notes! It actually fits the tune of "Follow the Yellow Brick Road." Cool.

You know, I'm thinking about that copy of "Happy" back in Kinokuniya Bookstore, lying next to "Too Far Away ~Onna no Kokoro" and "THE Manpower!!!" Single V. I'm kind of glad I didn't get it, because this song is by no means stellar. I liked "Balalaika" much better, though "Happy" ranks above "Koi*Kana" just because Koharu managed to not hurt my ears here. "Happy" is less catchy, less repetitive - which should be a good thing, because many complain about repetitiveness. But all I can really remember is "Ha~ppy, ureshii..." and that's it. "Happy" just doesn't stick with me the way other H!P songs manage to. The only thing I can really recall about "Happy" five minutes after watching the PV is Koharu's pigtails. Still, it was a good try by the Miracle Girl, and I am looking forward to new things by her. Koharu's made some amazing progress in the past...two years? God. In fact, her progress combined with looking at the "Aruiteru" cover reminds me...