Jpop Mix: Country Girls - Boogie Woogie Love, Koi wa Magnet, Ran Ra Run

I've had this post in the "drafting" stage since March. Oops. This is coming much later then I originally intended, but Country Girls has not released a new single, so it's not too late right? ;) Well, I've always had this sort of "I'm-not-so-sure" relationship with Country Girls. They were the group where I liked most of the members individually but in terms of the group itself - nah, I didn't care much for them. I did quite like Itooshikutte Gomen Ne, and while I originally thought I would soon tire of it, I still find myself listening to it. Haha, so if I could revise my original review, I would probably give their debut single 4/5, hehe. But! Their follow-up didn't really grab my attention at all and I sort of gave up on the group. 

Well, in the later half of 2015, two new members were added to the line-up, Hello!Project trainees Funaki Musubu and Yanagawa Nanami. This kept my interest only for a bit, but then I saw the new line-up perform their debut single and I was blown away. Like, these new girls had charisma and it's not that the previous line-up was bad, but with the additional two members, I felt like Country Girls as a whole just came alive. I waited patiently for a new single to be released and I was not disappointed. 

A triple A-side, this single is amazing in that it highlights a pair of girls in each song. The main A-side is Boogie Woogie Love which was a song that I immediately loved due to its retro style and jazz undertones. The music video looks like it was filmed in a diner and their outfits are so cute and definitely fit the era of the 50's. I felt like Funakki and Nanami were both featured in a way that wasn't overwhelming and I really liked their little solo dances in the middle. It's a fun song that I listen to often.

On: Visting the Hello!Project Shop (and oh yeah, Hi, I'm back!)

Tokyo Tower!

Wow, it was almost 3 months ago that I posted that I was back. Well, I wasn't, although there are tons of things I want to post/have to post about. First, let me start by saying that in March, I made a trip to Japan to visit a good friend of mine and to take a much needed vacation. That week flew by, but it was awesome to see and get to know Tokyo. It is definitely very different from Osaka and is overall, much more touristy. That's not a bad thing of course, but it I did miss the more homey atmosphere of Osaka (although I did get asked on three different occasions if I needed any help - twice in English and once in Japanese. I learned that I understand way more than I can actually speak and I'm both super happy and disappointed about that, haha).

As of right now, I've launched into the summer semester of library school - yay! Well, kind of. I'm already feeling extremely overwhelmed because I'm taking a management class and I'm not good at management. This is why I'm a library assistant - less responsibility that way. But *sigh* I really should get used to the fact that I'll eventually be in some sort of management position. Aside from school, I'm writing more! That is a definite YAY! I've got so many new soundtracks I'm using as inspiration, so many books (and reviews!) to share that have helped drive my creativity and more importantly, I'm also drawing a lot more, which helps me when writing descriptions.

I will be posting (hopefully sooner rather than later), a couple of reviews on plays/DVD performances I've watched recently, my hopes for the AKB election, book reviews, manga reviews, and some television shows that I've been hooked on as of late. There is tons to share and I can't wait to start posting. But first, I wanted to share a bit of my trip to Japan.

Jpop Mix: Tsubaki Factory, Seishun Manmannaka!

How long has it been since I've done one of these? Wow, a while. There have been a lot (and I mean A LOT) of releases among my favorite singers/groups in the last few months but I'm going to zero in on one and post my thoughts on their newest release. This time I will introduce a new group that just made their indies debut earlier this month: Tsubaki Factory. Hey, doesn't that sounds a lot like Kobushi Factory? Yes, yes it does and this is because the groups are meant to be "sister" groups of sorts, thus the "Factory" in both of their names.

I will be the first to admit that my initial impression of Tsubaki was not all that great. This is probably because the girls of Kobushi Factory are so polished. While not bad singers nor bad dancers, Tsubaki factory lacks the vocal prowess that their older sister group is consistently praised for. Further, the girls are still a bit awkward on stage. While I would normally find this endearing, it is a stark contrast when compared to Kobushi's confidence and obvious superior stage presence. While I know the two groups shouldn't be compared, I really can't help it. Since they were formed so close to each other and have the sister group tag, it's so hard not to compare them!

Jpop Mix: Juice=Juice, First Squeeze!

Juice=Juice is a Japanese idol group I introduced previously here. After more than 2 years since their debut, the group has finally dropped their first album. While there were many editions available, with the limited editions containing dvd content and even an extra CD filled with cover songs, due to financial issues, I settled on just buying the CD from iTunes instead of splurging on a physical copy. This is one purchase I definitely do not regret! 

The first CD is filled with songs previously released as singles from the group. As each song has been promoted significantly, there isn't a single one I would say I dislike. There were even a couple songs I hadn't listened to much when they were released and after listening to them I've realized what amazing songs they are and they have become new favorites. Songs such as Samidare Bijo ga Samidareru, Senobi, Ten Made Nobore, Date jyanai yo uchi no jinsei wa and Kaze ni Fukarete are all songs I developed a new appreciation for. My favorites though are definitely: Watashi ga iu mae ni dakishimenakya ne, Ijiwaru shinai de Dakishimete yo, and of course, Hadaka no Hadaka no Hadaka no Kiss. Here is the track list that also links to the music video for each song so you can tune in and listen!: 

Jpop Mix: Morning Musume '15, Seishun Kozou ga Naiteiru/Yuugure wa Ameagari/Ima Koko Kara

Earlier this year, I introduced the idol group Morning Musume by reviewing their 2014 album, 14 Shou ~The Message. With the start of a new year, Morning Musume has now evolved into Morning Musume '15, and has released their first single with Mizuki Fukumura as leader. This is also the first single that includes the new 12th generation members.

Titled Seishun Kozou ga Naiteiru/Yuugure wa Ameagari/Ima Koko Kara, Morning Musume '15 starts the year off by releasing a Triple A side single (meaning that all three tracks are main tracks and equally promoted). With 13 members, the girls come back as a group trying to evolve; starting out by providing three very different tracks and featuring rotating centers. 

Jpop Mix: Kobushi Factory, Survivor/Nen Ni Wa Nen

Whoa. Hello Project! has been busy with these releases haven't they? In 2015, along with Country Girls, the agency has debuted another new unit, named Kobushi Factory. Unlike Country Girls however, this unit is debuting in the indies scene so we will have to make do with fan uploaded videos to review this release :)

Kobushi Factory (Magnolia Factory) is made up of 8 girls who are part of the Hello Project! Trainee program. All of the girls have trained extensively in singing, dancing and acting. Their years of experience shine through their live performances, where they deliver strong vocals and powerful dances, not unlike their seniors within the agency. Kobushi Factory has been largely praised for their high energy and spot on vocals. All of the members are pretty young, the youngest being 13 (Rei Inoue) and the oldest being 16 (Rio Fujii). I actually watched a video where the girls were told by the Hello Project! leader Maimi (from C-ute) that they would be forming a new group with the aim of obtaining their major debut. The girls who had been trainees for a while started crying. I felt so happy for them at that moment because you could tell how much they had wanted to debut and how happy they were with the news. Now, let's get to reviewing their first release!

Jpop Mix: Juice=Juice, Wonderful World/Ça va ? Ça va ?

Another Music Mix post? Yes indeed. I realize that this is the third one already this month, but there have been tons of releases in 2015 that I wanted to review so I've been trying to knock them out as quickly as possible. 

This time, Juice=Juice's newest single is up. Juice=Juice is an idol group signed to Hello Project! (the same group that manages C-ute, Morning Musume and Country Girls). They are considered a newer group, since they debuted two years ago; despite being one of the newer groups, they are largely considered a professional and sleek group, with strong teamwork that mirrors C-ute. The two groups are compared often as they both have 5 members, 3 main vocalists and 2 supporting vocalists. In addition, Juice=Juice is remarkably versatile, just like their seniors. 

Juice=Juice originally boasted a very unique sound. The majority of their music featured strong jazz undertones and really made them stand out amongst the other groups in Hello Project! The release of songs such as Hadaka no hadaka no hadaka no kiss and Black Butterfly marked a departure from their earlier style and the girls began to release music in a variety of different styles. They continue in this new direction with their newest release, the double A-side single, Wonderful World/Ça va ? Ça va ?

Jpop Mix: ℃-ute, Gamusha Life/The Middle Management/Turn The Next Corner

℃-ute is one of those groups that I have been following for a while now. I first really got into them in high school. I stumbled across their songs, "Massara Blue Jeans" and "Ookina ai demotenashite". I remember finding the songs extremely addictive and fun to listen too. Despite their young ages,℃-ute turns 10 years old this year. With this year being their 10th anniversary, their first release of 2015 is a triple A single (meaning that all three songs are main tracks, receiving the same amount of promotion).

℃-ute has always praised for their good performances and great teamwork. When watching them live, it's easy to see that they are veterans in the idol business and they are admired for their professional and sleek performances. Despite having more of a "cool" vibe in their music these days, ℃-ute still releases cuter songs, normally reserved for younger groups in the agency. This single gave us a bit of both worlds as well as a ballad in order to showcase how well-rounded ℃-ute are as a group and as individuals. Without further ado, let's take a look at the three title tracks.

Jpop Mix: Country Girls, Itooshikutte Gomen Ne/Koi Dorobo

Making their major debut under the Hello Project! label, Country Girls is the essentially the revival of the group, "Country Musume." The original group debuted in 1999 but the group became inactive when all but 1 member left. In 2014, 6 girls were chosen to revive the group as the new Country Musume, which was to be renamed Country Girls. Their debut single was released on March 25th, 2015. 

Titled Itooshikutte Gomen Ne/Koi Dorobo (Sorry for Being Adorable / Love Thief), the single unsurprisingly, gives no "country" vibes. The name of the group does not seem to relate to their concept in any way, which was a bit disappointing for me. I would have liked to see this group release songs that I would never have seen any other Hello Project! idol group release, but I digress. The main track on this single is Itooshikutte Gomen Ne (Sorry for Being Adorable). I absolutely loved this song when it was first released. I loved the melody, I loved the talking portions and the dance is adorable. Most of the girls are quite young, so a song like this really emphasized how fresh and new they were to the scene. However, after listening to it over and over, it became stale for me.  Whaaa? Why? Getting past the excitement of this being a new group to Hello Project, I didn't find the song to be as stellar as I originally touted it was. Nevertheless, it's still a very good song and gets a solid 3.8/5 stars. 

Jpop Mix: Morning Musume '14, 14 Shou ~The Message~

I didn't think I would actually review this album because I bought it on iTunes way back in September. But then I realized that technically, I could still write a review because I promised that no releases would be more than a year old. Since that year is still a ways away, I decided to go ahead and review this album. 

Morning Musume is an all-female idol group formed in Japan in 1997. The group has a graduation system, where girls leave the group or "graduate" when they see fit to leave or when their producer decides a girl is ready to go. The average time a girl will spend in the group is about 4 years, although Morning Musume does boast a total of 4 girls that have stayed for over a decade. Each new addition is referred to as a "generation", the largest being the 1st generation - the 5 girls that founded the group. The smallest generations are the 3rd, the 7th, and the 11th, each consisting of only one girl. As of 2015, Morning Musume has had 12 generations and currently has 13 members. During the time of the release of the album 14 Shou ~The Message~, the group had 11 generations and 10 members.