It's An Older Appearance of the Business Park, But It Checks Out.

Longtime readers of this blog know of my obsession with Yokohama Business Park and the way its wonderful "Circles and Doors" design architecture appears in the darndest of places, and just the other day watching a special documenting the Top Hits of the 1990's, I saw that superduo B'z shot their entire 1995 PV for their song "Negai" right smack dab in the middle of that famous waterfront!

Yokohama Business Park...where will it appear NEXT?!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

The J-Pop of My Generation is Alive and Well on Music Station Super Live 2012

Music Station Super Live 2012!

One of the great continuing rituals of J-pop fandom is the long awaited year end specials, and though of course the big one is the Kohaku, there are also ones like the FNS Kayousai Concert, the Japan Record Awards, and probably one of the cooler shows, the yearly Christmas Special MUSIC STATION SUPER LIVE Concert!

Fukuyama Masaharu and Arashi

   Downloading the whopping 4HOUR  long show, I knew it would be an event, but looking at the line up with Mr Children, SMAP, Princess Princess, Kuwada Keisuke, Fukuyama Masaharu and B’z  in front,  I was stunned to see so many familiar faces from my “golden age” of J-pop watching, seriously, if it wasn’t for the fact that AKB48 was spread out behind Tak Matsumoto and Koshi Inaba, I could have been looking directly at an older MStation lineup from 1994 or 1995!

Mr. Children and SMAP

  Seeing B’z there really gave me a feel of the ongoing tradition and continuity MUSIC STATION SUPER LIVE has- When you think oabout the many, many guests that have been on the show, Bz just has to be the most associated act with the year end special! And although never a group that I was actively involved with, I was amazed at how much the music of B’z reminded me of my golden days of J-pop, Inaba’s voice just has that sound that really represents the 90’s j-rock tone to me! Calling Dr. Hiraagi!

B'z Rockin' the House

And if seeing these awesome acts from the past wasn’t enough to give me a throwback feel, Masahara Fukuyama produced the coupe de grace, performing his 1995 hit Hello and TOTALLY sealing this special as the celebration of my Jpop listening past, listening to this song just totally took me back to the days of watching Music Station  and Hey Hey Hey at my friend’s house back in the day!

"Kimi Whoa!" Fukuyama Masaharu

Strangely, one of the newer acts I was kind of looking forward to was Momoiro Clover because I wanted to see them perform their theme song to Kitagawa Keiko’s drama Akumu Chan. Car predicted that Momoiro was going to be this year’s Kohaku counterpart to Johnny’s Kanjani8, and while they weren’t paired together here, there’s not denying how outrageously similar and SILLY both groups were- like Merry mirrors of each other, really! Though, sadly, Momoiro Clover Z didn’t do the Akumuchan song, they still were two pretty fun acts!

Here are the Magic Elves Hiroshi Abe was looking for: Momoiro Clover Z

The Other Side of Silly: Kanjani8

Speaking of newer groups, AKB48 was there coupled with recently-graduated Atsuko Maeda, and seeing them together onstage, it looked a bit like a group of unopened flowers with the last one fully bloomed…I’m not gonna lie, Maeda looked pretty freakin’ terrific here!

AKB48 and one metamorphosized Butterfly Atsuko Maeda

They saved the closing acts for Keisuke Kuwata and Princess Princess, and I have to say how awesome it is seeing the girls again back in full form! When they first came back earlier this year, I was wondering how much they’d be able to retain their former sound, and it looks like they’ve back into the groove just fine! I especially loved watching Kyonchan bang those drums again!!

Rockin' Ladies: Princess Princess

Performing "M"

For me though, the highlight of the show just had to be SMAP performing their 2005 song “Triangle”, one of my very favorite singles from the group that I felt never really got the recognition it deserved (Following in the shadow of Sekai de Ichiban Hana, after all),  and as they sang the song, I was breaking out in goosebumps, it was so MOVING!!!! The year they closed the Kohaku with this song was one of my favorites!

SMAP "Triangle"

All in all, another awesome Music Station Year end closer, reminding me once again just what it was that made me fall in love with j-pop in the first place all those years ago and why it’s still an important part of my life today!
 Now Just waiting for the Kohaku Uta Gassen…..
Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com