C-ute UStream

So tonight I was informed that C-ute was going to be on Maimi's UStream doing all sorts of awesome stuffs.  I didn't even know about it until Chris informed me about it.  By this time I already missed like 30 min of it or something.

When I started watching, we got to watch C-ute (minus Airi) eat lunch.  It was kinda boring watching girls eat...and I kinda felt awkward watching girls eat...BUT then things got interesting.

[Stage Left] Here comes special guest Iida Kaori!  That was unexpected.  She came for some lunch too.  Hey, if C-ute's cooking, i'd join.  LUCKY KAORI.  She got Aitai Lonely Christmas CD signed by all the members.  DO WANT.

Right when I thought it was over, things got really interesting.  It was a C-ute karaoke party.  Woo!

We got to see a bunch of awesome performances by the girls.  It was like a mini concert.  We got to hear some awesome Miki and Mano songs along with Buono, C-ute, and Berryz songs.  It was really fun to watch, and it looked like the girls had fun too.

Didn't really think about screenshots until later, when I realized its LIVE, so you cant really pause or rewind >_<

Yaaay karaoke timeeee~

Chisa solo go!

Maimiiiiiiiii

NAKKY!

Lol win~

Girls say bye bye...kind of...

Album Wonders

So, what have I done so far...my favorite b-sides and a-sides of 2010.  Whats left.  Oh..album songs!  A bunch of albums came out this year haven't they...  There were a few that really stuck with me this time around.  Momusu seems to be the winner this year in quantity album releases since they squeezed out a second album before the graduation (even though it wasn't as good as the previous).  So, which songs did I enjoy the most?  Well keep reading duh.

Miyabi and Momoko - Ai ni wa Ai Deshou [Otakebi 6th]

Not that i'm such a huge fan of Momoko, but I really liked her in this song.  Miyabi sounds great as usual, which makes the song better.  Not sure why though, but this song really stuck with me.

Mano Erina - Genkimono de Ikou Giga Power Mix [MORE FRIENDS]




Like, holy crap can I just tell you how awesome the first 16 seconds of this song are?  It doesn't fail to put a smile on my face.

Eri, Reina, and Sayumi - Ookii Hitomi [10MYME]



Loving the 6th gen genkiness.  This song was really a great hit for them.  They also performed it really well at the concerts.  To be honest, Sayu's voice sounds cool with the techno/robotic track behind it.

Sayumi feat. Morning Musume - Fantasy ga Hajimaru [Fantasy! Juuichi]



Haha, another great hit for Sayumi.  I really liked the way her voice sounded in this song, and how she was given the lead for it.  Aika would have been a better lead, but hey, can't do anything about that but enjoy whats given to me right?  The song is really catchy and upbeat.

Yurina and Maasa - Grand Demo Rouka Demo Medatsu Kimi [6th Otakebi]



Yurina and Maasa.  Couldn't have had a better pairing up for this song.  They really hit it out of the ballpark this time.  I'm a huge fan of both of them, and their voices, so together they sounded amazing.  I liked the way it was put together, having Yurina lead, with Maasa in the back, and then they swapped positions.  The two of them are amazing.

Ai and Risa - Ano hi ni Modoritai [10MYME]



This song was one of the reasons why I started loving Risa.  I'm usually not a huge fan of the slow, ballad type songs, but wow, this song really amazed me.  The two strongest vocals in MM put together for an awesome song.  Gaki's voice is phenomenal.

I bet you're all suprirsed that out of everything I picked Ano hi ni Modoritai as my favorite album song aren't you?  Well, I actually surprised myself.  It was a toss up between this and Grand Demo, but hey, I know what I like.  I like them all just about equally actually, so there really shouldn't be numbers.

Let's just say, these are my favorite album songs of the year!  I hope next year has some well thought out albums and performances as well~

A-sides please stand up!

So, following up from yesterdays post, i'll now talk about my favorite a-sides from this year.  To tell the truth, I basically liked almost everything that was produced.  Rather, there hasn't been anything that I didn't enjoy listening to.  I think every time a new single comes out, I replay it so often I get bored of it quickly and wait for a new single.  SO, there are some that stood out over the rest that I just haven't gotten tired of yet.

S/mileage - Ganbarankutemo ee Nende



First time I heard this song, I wasn't very excited about it.  It was too high pitched for me.  When I listened to it a couple more times, I really because fascinated by it.  It was so upbeat and genuinely happy, that I not-so-quickly fell in love with it.

C-ute - Aitai Lonely Christmas

C-ute's holiday-ish single.  I do like it, but it's not their best that i've seen from them.  Also, it's not all that upbeat, which is why its lower on my list.  I enjoy listening to it in the car, but not when i'm at the gym!  All in all, a good song to sing along too.

Morning Musume - Onna ga Medatte Naze Ikenai





Fantastic single.  I loved it from the beginning.  It was a great way to kick off the year for Morning Musume.  Great vibe from the song, and members like Gaki and Eri really shined here.  Still love listening to it.

Mano Erina - Onegai Dakara



Onegai Dakara was the first Mano Erina single that I actually enjoyed listening to without ripping my ears off.  It's a great upbeat song that had a techno-ish feel to it at the beginning.

Berryz Kobo - Shining Power



I quickly got interested in this song.  I love the way it starts off, and it left a great impression on me.  I still like listening to it.  I don't think i've killed it yet.

C-ute - Dance de Bakoon



Wow.  Just wow.  This was such a great improvement from Campus Life.  Meccha awesome.  That's all I have to say.

Morning Musume - Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game



WOW.  Now THIS is a single to remember.  Love it love it love it.  Was also one HUGE step forward from Seishun Collection.  It's so different then any of the other past singles that they've released, which is great to see.  The pauses in the song add great flare and the beat totally rocks.  Loved hearing Eri in this too.  Sad to see that this is the last single that the trio is going to be part of, but at least they went out with a bang.

Lemme see yo B-sides!

So I see that everyone is letting everyone else know what their favorite songs of 2010 are, so I decided to do the same.  But this time, i'm starting off with the b-sides, cause there were just some that I thought were fantastic.

Hmm...lets see what I come up with, seeing I never really put any thought into "what my favorite songs of the year" are.  Who knows?  As I write this blog post, I might surprise myself.

6. S/mileage - Smile Bijin. [Ganbarankautemo ee Nende b-side]
(Forgot how good this was until just recently.  I love how it opens, and that it has a good beat to it).

5. Berryz Kobo - Moon Power. [Maji Bomber's b-side]
(Great how everyone has equal share in this song.  Loved it from the beginning).


4. Morning Musume - Nakidasu Kamo Shirenai Yo. [Onna ga Medatte Naze Ikenai b-side]
(Crazy how out of everyone Junjun got chosen for the epic solo.  Gooo Junjun).


3. S/mileage - Chokkoto Love [Bijin Mama b-side]
(I know its a cover of an old song, but I love this version more.  The high pitched voices make it work).



2. Morning Musume - Aisaresugiru Koto wa Nai no Yo [Lullaby Game b-side]
(Wasn't too crazy about the bridges, but the choruses are amazing).

1. C-ute - Kore Ijou Kirawaretakunai No [Dance de Bakoon b-side]
(Epic.  Loved everything about this song. That's it).

So in conclusion, I think that Tsunku had a great run this year concerning b-sides.  Morning Musume are surely not going to be the same once the new kids roll in.  I hope, for everyone's sake though, that they still produce awesome songs.

I guess we'll just have to wait and find out wont we?

P.S - If you play all the songs at the same time, something crazy happens after 1 minute.

Come On Now Really?

So I'm not near a computer all day and what do I find out when I get home?  That Berryz Kobo is going to Seattle for Sakura-con?  Seriously?  So that's how its goin down?  Not cool man.  Not cool at all.

Like ONE time UFA had a bad experience with managing at Anime Expo and now they like never want to come back here.  Not fair!!!!! I swear we'll be nicer this timeee.

So annoyed how Seattle-ites get to get their Berryz on, and not me.

[in the meantime, Raffi checks flight prices from CA to WA]

Holy crap.  Tickets to Seattle are like 200 bucks.  That's like awesome.  I did not expect that.  I think i'm going to spend more then that next week at HSU.  Okay...so maybe i'll consider going?  But, I don't want to go alone, and I don't know who will want to come with me.  Any takers?

I'm actually REALLY REALLY hoping that UFA will send out C-ute to LA for me this summer for Anime Expo or something?  Now that I think about it, C-ute FC tour is in Hawaii in March, so DOUBT they're gonna come back to the states in July.  SIGH SIGH SIGH.

I guess that means another year of no H!P live action for Raffi.

P.S: It was a joke people.  I wasn't trying to hurt the feelings.  I'm a nice guy!

Fresh Meat

So, Morning Musume 9th Generation Auditions are nearing its end, and the fat is being trimmed off.  All the girls who weren't good enough got sent home, while the ones that were Tsunku worthy stayed.  By the looks of it, there are only a handful of girls left.  Maybe...less then 10 i'd say.  Makes me really excited whats in store for Morning Musume.

They better not suck and ruin everything.

Caption: "You better not suck and ruin everything"

Hmm...NEXT

Looks alright.

Not doing it for me

Please.  Don't even bother looking into the camera.

No mirrors where you come from?

We don't need another Fukuda Kanon, thanks.

Melody-sensei telling the girls they got to get their act together.

Dance-sensei mentioning that Morning Musume isn't for the weak

That means you, little boy.

"What have I gotten myself into." - Tsunku

Delicious

With graduations and what not I have not had much time to pay appropriate homage to AIKA'S UPCOMING PHOTOBOOK.

YEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

FINALYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 Now that that's out of the way, UFA graced my youtube homepage with a preview of the image dvd that's coming out alongside her photobook.  Let me just tell you it was freaking awesome to the max.

Instead of telling you about it, let me show you this wonderfullness.

HEY THERE SWEET THANG

Almost poked my eye out. BU-BAM!

How are you possibly frowning.  I can't stop smiling :D

100% All Natural - Not From Concentrate

Aww you put your clothes back on :(

Aika, I know i'm irresistible but we're on camera ;)

Hey look your clothes fell off again.  I have that affect on women

 

MINE.  BACK OFF.  I WAS HERE FIRST.

 

And now you all know.  Aika is amazing.  HATERS GON HATE.

The Graduation to Remember

Yes, so I stayed up till 4a.m reading live reports of the graduation concert.  It was worth it.  Hello!Online was buzzing with fans who were crying / enjoying the concert as much as they could.  There were a few fans who attended the concert who uploaded pictures to the web literally every minute which was great to see.

It looked like Linlin, Junjun, and Eri had a lot of fun during the concert actually.  There were tears of course, but all in all, it looked amazing.  The crowd was awesome, seeing as like 20,000 people attended.  Surprisingly, there were a lot of female fans, and many (pretty) female Eri wota's so I've heard lol.

So literally after waiting months, the graduation concert finally begun.  I wonder how nervous our graduates were tonight.

P.S - Major picspam ahead

Graduation thread was a paaarrrtttaaay!

The party got kinda crowded:

The concert begins with the much approved military-esque outfits

FIYA!

Outfit change: Onna ga Medatte Naze Ikenai starts

Later on the medley came with Aika's spotlight of the night:

Mid concert, the graduates solo's began: up first - Linlin, singing Watarasebashi

Next: Junjun, singing Furusato

Last: Eri, singing Haru Beautiful Everyday

Orange everywhere for Eri:

After a rather solemn moment, girls come back with great costumes:

High energy returns to the stage!

Apparently, snow does too:

After a few awesome performances like GuruGuru Jump, its time for Lullaby Game:

Time for the graduation speeches: I wont cry!

Aika is so sweet:

Aww Junjun you're making me cry...

Awww Eriii

Awwwwwwwwwwwwww LINLIN!!! *sobsob*

2nd to last song: Ai Araba, It's All Right

K maybe not so many tears:

After almost 3 hours, goodbyes are said:

Oyasuminasai~

Last song: Namidacchi then good night

I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU