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It's midnight and I didn't really intend to post anything today, but I was watching this video and I was moved to tears. This is so amazing. It's like Susan Boyle. None of us expected this voice to come out of LinLin. At least, I didn't. WHERE DID THIS COME FROM? :O

I have to admit I didn't like her when she first joined. I thought she was trying too hard as an idol and frankly was a bad singer. But OBVIOUSLY I was so wrong.

LinLin has gone through so much. She came to a country where she didn't know the language well, became the new member and one of the first foreign members of Morning Musume, and for a time not many people liked her. But now she's one of the best vocalists in Morning Musume (in my opinion).

 I am so proud of Morning Musume right now x3

(Good morning. I edited this post because... when I posted it at midnight I was tired and was just rambling.) 

Finally! The lineups for the revival units have been announced. While not fully confirmed, I think they're the real deal.

Aa! - Natsuyaki Miyabi, Suzuki Airi, and Saho Akari - OK, a little disappointed there will be no Reina. However, she is in High-King, so that makes sense that they left her out. I know originally in Aa!, Miyabi was totally left out. It was pretty much the Reina and Airi show. I don't want that to happen again. I'm sure Miyabi and Airi will be given the most lines, but I really want to hear Akari. I'm new to the Eggs, and I want to know what they can really do.

Shin Minimoni - LinLin, Fukuda Kanon, Takeuchi Akari, and Miyamoto Karin - Out of all the groups, I think this one is the one with the most win. LinLin fits the Minimoni mold perfectly, and the Eggs, well, I don't really know. But I have a good feeling, And really, can you go wrong with Minimoni?

Pucchimoni V - Nakajima Saki, Hagiwara Mai, and Mano Erina - Oh. My. God. Noooo >.< I'm not looking forward to this. Not at all. Saki and Mai are the weekest singers in C-ute, to have the two of them together is not something I'm looking forward to. And then Mano Erina, who I quite honestly think should have never gotten a solo career. Tsunku better have something truly amazing planned for these three. But still, I can't see them singing Chokotto Love or Seishun Jidai 1 2 3!. Not a bit.

ZYX-a - Niigaki Risa, Kusumi Koharu, Tsugunaga Momoko, Sudou Maasa, Tokunaga Chinami, Umeda Erika, Wada Ayaka, and Ogawa Saki - Alright, this is so much better than the above. Gaki fits the mold of leader perfectly for this group, however I don't see what Koharu's doing there. Meh -_-

Hoping to see a great performance from the Eggs though. The kids being in there isn't a surprise, obviously. Unfortunatly Saki is going to be in High-King, and so that ruled out ZYX. :/

Zoku Biyuuden - Michishige Sayumi, JunJun, Sugaya Risako - What?! How old is Risako - 15? 16? I'm not keeping track. But she's definatly too young to be in the "sexy group." These are all weak singers, however, so I think that'll work out if they were to ever cover a Biyuuden song (not saying the original Biyuuden was weak, but they weren't the best. They're songs are all easy to sing). But I think Maimi could have totally been in this group. Shame High-King came along. 

Tanpopo# - Kamei Eri, Mitsui Aika, Kumai Yurina, Okai Chisato - OK, this is fairely random. Not much to say about it. Mostly just looking forward to which Tanpop they'll be doing - sexy or silly? I really hope Chisato gets to shine here.

New singles and PV's please! xD I'm seriously excited.   

Here's another one! I did it a while ago but forgot to put it up here ^^;

This time it's Ame no Furanai Hoshi de wa Aisenai Darou?, the Ice Creamusume version (because I think its prettier :D)

Once again, this one is written in D and without any accidentals (yay!).

Sheet music is from here: http://hponflute.wordpress.com/

Sakura Chirari was one of the first J-pop songs I heard, and I am still in love with it. So of course I wanted to make it the first H!P song I learned.

It's actually pretty easy, as it's only written in D. There are a few accidentals, and some rhythms are fast, but it was incredibly easy after playing it through a few times.

Sheet music from here: http://hponflute.wordpress.com/

Some day I'll be good enough to play by ear xD

I apologize about my dog barking in the background. I love him to death but the little stinker would only bark while I was playing >.< 

So this morning I wake up, check International Wota, and what do I see? "Wonder Girls to Release English Singles..." Okay, already I'm interested; "... Album... and Tour With the Jonas Brothers" *rubs eyes* Am I reading this correctly?! I mean, while I may not be too into Wonder Girls (or the Korean music scene in general ^^;), I like a few of their songs and living in a household with a little sister who fangirls over Nick Jonas, I've become quite accustomed to the Jonas Brothers.

So apparently they'll be opening for the JoBros for 13 shows in 7 cities on their world tour. I'm guessing the 13 shows will be in Asia then. Actually, I'm hoping they'll be in Asia, because my sister is going to see a show in August and if the Wonder Girls are there, you bet I'll be jealous xD

But this makes me wonder... what if some H!P acts were to tour with the Jonas Brothers, or any other insanely popular American artist?

While I cannot see Joe Jonas singing and dancing along to The*Peace! (even though it would be incredibly entertaining and I'd develop a new respect for him), I can easily see them doing a song like Morning Musume Otome Gumi's Yuujou ~Kokoro no Busu ni wa Nara Nee!~

PS: Love Bug is my favorite Jonas Brothers song ;P

I've been feeling a bit disconnected from the blogging world, but with summer finally among me, I'll be doing more.

My #1 plan for this summer is to learn some H!P songs on my flute and post them here. I'm working on some, so keep and eye out :D

I want to get back to blogging. And I will. :]

Welcome to Wota Wonderings! We are a group of English-speaking Japanese music bloggers brought together once a month to answer questions posed by johpan. We strive to be creative and entertaining, and we may even shed a bit of new light on interesting musical and cultural topics. Any questions about how we work should be directed to johpan. Don't forget to check out the other posts from this month at the bottom of this post. Enjoy!

Hoping we're not all shallow wotas, imagine your favourite idol (or musical personality) switched bodies with someone you don't find "visually pleasing", would it affect your love for that idol in any way/shape/form?

Sorry joh, I'm shallow. Well a little. If Yaguchi Mari or any other Hello!Project girl weren't "visually pleasing", I'm sure I'd warm up to them. I don't base my judgements off of looks. Most of the time at least. If I see someone like Miss California, for sure I'm going to think they are a stuck-up snob. Thats that.

This brings me to a Korean drama my sister and I watched together. It was called "200 Pounds of Beauty", which I reveiwed here. Our veiw of beauty is horribly distorted. We've all seen horribly airbrushed pictures of H!P girls, we all know their pictures are photoshopped. It's easy for graphic designers to make someones arm fat disappear, or to give someone abs. A majority of us, I myself sometimes, judge too quikly. We need to give people a chance before we make negative assumptions of them.

"Particularly pretty people are particularly ugly people."

-The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Misa of minna iru kai has posted an awesome survey, which she had actually posted when her blog was here on Vox. Nonetheless I really enjoy reading other people's responses... and here are mine :D

1. What was the first Japanese song that you ever listened to?

CHE.R.RY by YUI. It's still one of my favorite songs to this day. Even when I listen to it now I remember those hot summer days that I spent in my room researching YUI and getting my first taste of Hello!Project.

Oh gosh, I'm getting all sentimental now.

2. Did it inspire you to like that group/singer, or did it turn you away?

Yes, very much, but to this day I don't really like YUI all that much anymore. Her style of music just doesn't appeal to me.

3. What is the one song that you have been listening to for the longest time?

CHE.R.RY, Goodbye Days, or Sakura Chirari. I got into those songs all at the same time almost. Oh gosh. The nostalgia.

4. What group/singer have you liked the longest?

C-ute, I'm still a fan of them to this day and Sakura Chirari was a longtime obsession of mine. 

5. What is the song with the most plays on your itunes/media player?

Always With Me (from Spirited Away) by the East Winds Ensemble. Second is Sakura Chirari, but C-ute of course, and third is Sakura Mankai by Morning Musume Sakura Gumi.,

6. Is that song your favorite?

Yes, Spirited Away is an animation masterpeice and the song is so pretty. It gives me goosebumps when I hear it, and the recorder thats used in it is just too pretty sounding. Gosh I can go on and on about this song.

7. If not, what is?

N/A 

8. Is there any one group that you can listen to all/most of the songs by? If so, who?

Yes, Morning Musume. They've had so many different members over the years and if you listen to their first few singles and their more recent singles, they're so different. Momusu, and Hello!Project in general, has so much to offer. 

9. What is your favorite agency?

UFA, they're the only agency I know of.

10. What is your favorite group/singer?

It's a no-brainer: Morning Musume.

Buono!'s new single, MY BOY, is pretty awesome. It's got a great melody, and I WANT the dance shot outfits. I loved the PV, the spy concept was great, until the end.

At the very end where they open the box and you're like... WHAT THE HECK IS IN THAT BOX.

And then its cake.

orz

That just bothers me. It's too idol :/ I know they are meant to be idols, but still.

I love cake as much as the next person... but... ugh I don't know what to say about this.

I think it would have been better if they had gone into the room and ripped off their spy clothes to reveal the casual dance shot outfits and go back to dancing.

That's all for now. I've been feeling a bit meloncholy about blogging lately.

The Gooch is and always will be my favorite <3

1 comment

http://www.helloblog.co.uk/comment.php?commentID=438

I always look forward to the Hello!Blog polls. Paul always seems to have a spiffy (yes, I said spiffy) new design and this year is totally different (and much harder!) as we have to rank our top 10, not just rank group members. Agh!

10) Ohtani Masae

Melon Kinenbi gets no attention, it bothers me. They have (in my opinion) the best vocals of Hello!Project, and I think Masae is right at the top. Her punky attitude and style is very appealing to me as well (lol).

9) Shimizu Saki

One of the most unappretiated members of Berryz Kobo, but she's my favorite. Actually, I switch between Saki and Maasa, and I'm in a Saki mood. She's a dancing prodigy and is so pretty.

8) Okai Chisato

The best singer in C-ute.

Thats right, I said it.

7) Yoshizawa Hitomi

Yossie reminds me of my best friend. Her split personality is really great, she's so funny as well. And her edgy style once again is very appealing to me :P

6) LinLin

In the beginning of this year, she wouldn't even be on this chart. But her singing has gotten so much better and I think she's starting to lay off the idol-ness.

5) Niigaki Risa

She can so outsing a majority of the Morning Musume members, and she's always happy, she kind of person I would want to be.

4) Kamei Eri

Her voice is so sweet, and she reminds me of myself. Quiet and reserved, but when given the chance, very fun to be around (well, I think I'm fun to be around...) :D

3) ShenShen

It's rare that a newcomer becomes my favorite so quikly. But ShenShen's singing is so great and I've liked her since the auditions.

2) JunJun

I do beleive LinLin is taking away JunJun's singing ability, as she's been... not so impresive lately. Keep being cute, JunJun, keep being cute.

1) Yaguchi Mari

Mari is an awesome singer. She can change her voice so many ways, and has always had an amazing vibrato. She's got an amazing personality, and who can resist that adorable laugh?