It's All About The Benjamin (Bunnies)

If there's one thing that makes me smile and brightens my day about KARA's PV for their song "Girl's Power" (besides the obvious fact that all five of the girls are gorgeous as HECK) is how cute and adorable Jiyoung is here! 

In this video, every member is given a girlish backdrop to sing from, and hers features an easter garden filled with these plush toy bunnies that Jiyoung just cannot keep her hands off! 

Whether gently stroking one of them, snuggling them or gathering a couple of them up to make “kissy-kissy” with eeah other, you just gotta laugh watching her antics! Jiyoung+Bunnies=WIN

Sooooo CUTE! But wait! What about this forlorn Zebra sitting off to the side with no one to keep him company? 

Not to worry, Jiyoung can help with that, too!

If You Wanna Pretty!

In the interest of all my friends and colleagues who will have to deal with my gushing and rambling regarding my newly discovered love of K-pop unit KARA, I offer up this public service announcement entitled “Know Your KARA Members” to help them relate and recognize which girl I happen to be fawning over at any given time!

Okay Kids, Study these notes  well, You'll be tested on this later, LOL!

The Assimilation Is Complete: My Current Fave Group is...KARA!!!

Well, I just finished watching  one of KARA’s Japan Concert videos (the awesome 2011 Best Clips II Show), and I have to say that while I don’t know where it came from or how long it will last, right now, my entire world is filled with the sweet, sweet sounds of Gyuri, Nicole,  Seungyeon, Jiyoung and Hara, the girls of that phenomenal South Korean K-Pop unit KARA! Wow, Whowuldathunkit? AHAHAHA!

The first song I knew from KARA was the Japanese version ofa “Jumping”, but it would be another two years before I fell under the wonderful Magical Spell that they cast. In fact, though they were already gaining a huge foothold in Japan, not only was I not too familiar with their breakout song “Mister”, it wasn’t until their heralded appearance on this past year’s Kohaku Uta Gassen that I realized what a huge cultural impact the girls and their “Hip-Dance” moves had made.

Anyway, in the meantime, I had been getting introduced to all the other groups comprising the K-pop Invasion, with acts like Shoujo Jidai,  4Minute, and later (getting introduced to them by friends) 2ne1, T-Ara and After School, but it was my love of new idol group FAIRIES that inadvertently opened my eyes, when one day K-Pop Site MusicSoLoud uploaded the old KARA video “Mister”, and I have to tell you, watching that PV for the first time I realized how much IMPACT Kara had made on the overall Dance Style  and Choreograph sensibilities of the current R&B styled groups (like Fairies)… KARA was the REAL DEAL!

I can’t tell you how many times I watched and re-watched that PV for “Mister”. I was SO impressed every time I saw it with how TIGHT the girls’ dancing was, so innovative and blatantly SEXY as opposed to the “Cutesy Idol” style going on at the time. Not that the girls in KARA weren’t Cute, they were almost distractingly beautiful, and that IN ITSELF was sort of a shock- where the gals in 2NE1 and 4Minute (reflecting their “Urban” style”) looked like they might break out of the computer monitor and kick my butt, KARA looked so dainty and sexily girlish! After immersing myself in the K-Pop R&B/Hip-Hop styled groups for so long, it was a complete turnaround to see these lithe, delicate princesses gyrating up a storm! I wanted to see MORE!

After this newfound interest in the group, I acquired Girls Talk and Super Girl, KARA’s two Japanese version CD releases, and I have to say that from the opening strains of “Jumping”, I was hooked…such happy, upbeat tunes, genki and catchy as HELL! As each song began, I found myself blown away over and over by how fricking terrific theses songs were! From the hits I’d already heard like Jumping, Jet Coaster Love and Mister, to cool techno/dance tracks like Baby I Need U and Lupin to get down with, smooth ballads like Winter Magic and Ima, Okuritai Arigato, and most unexpectedly of all were so many “idol-ly” songs, soooo adorable and CUTE, man, listening to songs like “Binks” and “Burn”, I just found myself suddenly so happy!

Binks:

Burn:

Now that I’d learned a whole smattering of songs and styles from the girls, it was time to venture onto the internet and see what PVs and (hopefully) live performances there were to be found…I went looking, and BOY was I rewarded! All the different phases of KARA’s career had been neatly documented, and I made haste downloading and checking out their incredible videos with those famous dance moves, MVs for songs like “Lupin”  and “Jet Coaster Love” were just as fierce as the one for “Mister”, and the live performances were just as rocking!

Over the course of their careers, KARA have really covered just about every type of genre, from young idol beginnings, urban R&B, dancy girl pop and finally their sexy and smoky style. At first, I didn’t venture into their earlier Idol past, thinking I would be disappointed, but BOY was I wrong-Not only was I pleasantly surprised at how awesome those earlier songs of their were, it was amazing how much they sounded like “Old School” J-pop, with bright, poppy tunes and big smiling cheerfulness, harkening back to the days of if not CoCo then at least Morning Musume in their “Hey Mirai” days! 

Songs Like  “Pretty Girl” and “Step” were so much fun to listen to, and wouldn’t ya know it, their dance moves were as locked and tight as their later “Mister” days moves, so it was just as big a joy to watch! Listening to these newfound treasures, I realized I didn’t even care if the songs were in Japanese or not, and in fact began liking the Korean versions even better since they looked so much more relaxed and comfortable performing when they didn’t have to think about what they were singing! LOL

Once I began watching their concert performances, through their MC, I began to slowly get to know the girls better and was so tickled by their onstage banter, I decided it was time to check out some of the variety shows I saw up for grabs online. Japan has always been great at creating variety shows that showcase the guests characteristics, and programs like TOKYO FRIEND PARK really opened my eyes to KARA’s individual personalities and made me love them even more and more- indeed, enough to the point that I began to have distinct “favorites” in the group, a surefire sign that you’ve passed the point from casual  listener into obsessed Fanatic!

I’m now at the point where I’ve run out and purchased all the KARA albums I could get my hands on, with a  bunch of CDs on its way from CD Japan (and the like), and with videos, TV perfroamcnes and Concerts to watch online, it seems like my current obsession with KARA will be with us for AT LEAST a while! I’ve got their albums on the deck and the car full of gas, so we’re off on another KARA fueled ride….

Who's That Girl: It's Chisa!

Chisa as Akane in Uta No Oniisan

So I’m watching the first episode of the Ohno Satoshi drama Uta No Oniisan, and I find myself just drooling over the pretty young thang that’s playing Ohno’s girlfriend Akane. This in itself is notable in that the drama is positively filled with pretty young thangs, but anyway…throughout the show I kept reminding myself to go check on just WHO this actress was, but wouldn’t ya know it, by the time I finished watching the drama, I had other things to do and it totally slipped my mind! 

Later that night, and I’m telling Car about Uta No Oniisan and the pretty actress that I still didn’t know the identity of. Trying to describe the gal to her, I said that the girl looked “kind of like Chisa from Girl Next Door.” As you all may remember from my FNS Kayousai post the other year, I was quite taken with Chisa's performance and gorgeous looks, so WHOEVER this actress was, she already had a thumbs up from me!

Lovely Chisa  at the 2010 FNS Kayousai

While we talked on the phone, Car had logged onto the computer and was perusing the dramawiki stats, and then said to me, “Hey wait, did you say Chisa?” There’s a girl named Chisa listed here as the girl named…Akane?” I laughed out loud- this couldn’t have been just a coincidence, could it? “That’s GOTTA be the same chick, right?” “I dunno, I never saw that drama The Girl Next Door,” said Car. “No, the musical GROUP Girl Next Door!” “Ohhh!”

And getting onto the AsianMediaWiki site, I was indeed presented with the stats: 

Chisa: Lead Vocalist for the group Girl Next Door, 

and in a lone, sole acting venture, listed:

Filmography: Uta No Oniisan /Akane 

LOL! So it WAS the lovely Chisa after all! 

Chisa as Akane in Uta No Oniisan

Well, I hve to admit that by the end of that first episode, I wasn’t exactly captivated by the show’s haphazard directing and cliché ridden plot devices, but with pretty girls like Chisa featured in the supporting cast, that may just be what it needs to keep ME coming back for more!

...And Rounding Up This Quarter's K-Pop Invasion: SHINee

About every four months or so I put together these j-pop compilations of all my favorite current tunes, something I've been doing on and off since the first j-pop mixes were made for me in 1995, and if there's one thing that's been really noticeable in recent mixes is the amount of K-Pop that's been making it into my fave playlists every month!

I mean, sure, there's always been room for groups like Tohoshinki, SNSD and the like doing "Japanese Versions of their Native Songs", but when 4Minute's completely Korean version of their awesome song "I My Me Mine" made it onto my last mix, I knew a new era of appreciation had arrived, and this month's mix features three Korean artists (with more already scheduled for the next mix!), so without further adieu, I present the final act in this quarter's collection, SHINee singing the R&B rockin' Juliette...

More From the K-Pop Fringe: 2NE1

I once worked with a guy at Tower Records years ago, and though he didn't listen to J-pop at all, he did appreciate a catchy, well-crafted pop tune, (and was a fan of artists like SClub7 and the like) so I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised when I hooked up with him recently and found that he had been getting into K-POP!

I related to him that I did know a smattering of korean artists like Shoujo Jidai, KARA, 4Minute etc, and while he did acknowledge those acts, the one group he was really into was a 4 girl unit called 2NE1, and even made a point to log onto his work computer to show me their stats! LOL! At the time, the song he was playing for me was a hip-hoppy-ish number called "Can't Nobody", and I have to say, it was pretty catchy stuff!

Since that time, I've been delighted to find that 2NE1 not only recorded a Japanese version of the song, but had released complete japanese version ALBUMS as well!! And out of all these new tunes (well, new to me, anyway), the most kewl and catchy of them all just HAS to be their totally-full-of-attitude number HATE YOU!

Growling with swagger and defiantly stating that they're "Fine Livin' Without You!", I was DYING to see these girls in action singing this one, but sadly, it seemed like the only PV they've released of this features the girls in an all-animation form. Cool, but I REALLY wanted to see the chicks burn this one out, so in the end, I latched onto this ULTRA COOL performance of the girls doing the original Korean version of the song kickin' it LIVE...Soooo cool!

From Me To IU

 Maybe a year or so back, I was talking to my friend Dan-O about the music he was listening to, a subject I’m always interested in with him, as Dan-O was in fact the guy that first introduced me to the world of J-pop all those years ago… Back when he was still living in Hawaii and he was hooking em up with the sounds of CoCo, Trf, Namie Amuro and shows like HEY HEY HEY Music Champ and POP JAM…Ah, those were the days!


Well, in that time, Dan had moved back to his hometown of Guam, gotten busy with work, and with his busy schedule, he admitted that he hadn’t kept up with the music of the j-pop world, and when he DID go out with friends to dance clubs or karaoke, it was now K-Pop that he was primarily listening to! After getting over the shock of the news, he went on to link me videos of Korean groups he liked so I could get a feel of what he was “into”…


So a few weeks ago I’m downloading the latest video of Girls’ Generation (or SNSD or Shoujo Jidai, whatever you want to call them), and when I click play to watch the video, find that I’ve downloaded the WRONG PV! This might have been bad news, but I found I really liked the song I was watchng, and the girl was cute, besides! Looking alternately between actress Riko Narumi and BoA, this girl instantly captured my attention and I realized I needed to get this song!

Taking a glance at the video credits, I read that the song was called "Good Day", and the artist singing was named “IU”, and suddenly, bells went off in my head! Going back and checking our last correspondence, I checked, and sure enough,  Dan-o had cited this girl as his current favorite Korean artist! What a Happy Coincidence!


It was thrilling to see that one of Dan-O's fave Korean artists had found her way into my circle of new music singing Jpanese versions of her korean songs! I immediately emailed Dan with the exciting news! Happily, he hadn’t yet heard the song , so I sent him the youtube link, and we both went back and watched it, agreeing that IU was quite talented indeed, her song “Good Day” was a wonderful little tune, and OH MAN, we gave BIG applause to that “high-sustained” finishing note she wrapped up the pop-perfect song with! Just fantastic!

Above: IU in her Good Day video. Is it jsut me, or does this courtyard look exactly like the one where Captain Von Trapp danced with Maria in The Sound Of Music?

Fairies: "Hero"

Is it just that I’m getting older, or does it seem like the new idol/dance groups have been getting younger and younger each year? (answer: both) LOL, anyway, here’s the latest “Young Gal” unit that’s been capturing my attention with their sweet (and rather mature sounding) vocals and (VERY “Kara”-ish) Dance Moves, the adorable seven member group, FAIRIES, with an excerpt from their extrememly catchy song “Hero”…

Here's a nice Fan Shot Video with the girls doing Promotion at a Mall Event. They're performing "Hero" to a backing track, but you get to see their cool dance moves, which may or may not be sexy, depending on whether or not you care that these girls look to be about 12 to 14 years old...LOL

Fairies won the Record Taisho Best New Artist Award a few months ago, and with three singles under their belts, this girl group is just starting to come into their own,  hopefully we'll be seeing a lot more from them in the future!

False Advertising, Ikimonogakari Style!

I always tend to like whatever pop trio Ikimonogakri releases as they always have an upbeat and genki feel to them, and in fact I frequently refer to lead singer Kiyoe‘s bubbly style akin to a “mouse singing its heart out atop a matchbox”, meaning whenever you hear them, ya just gotta smile!

Catching up on the latest episodes of the wildly fun and wacky VS Arashi show, I came across one of those RAW files that had kept the commercials intact, and by chance one of them had a CM for some new drama or movie (or something), main point was that this commercial featured Ikimonogakari singing their brand new song “Itsudatte Bokura Wa “ and WOW, what a catchy song it was!

The whole song was the same genki Ikimonogakari we’ve come to know and love, but what just BLEW ME AWAY was the way the song began with Kiyoe taking a deep breath before the song blasted in with her cheerful vocals and those bright and jangly guitars…I was thinking, MAN, this is a CD Mix OPENER, for SURE!

I knew that I was going to HAVE to get it, but what I didn’t realize at the time was that the part of the song I loved the most (that breathtaking beginning) was in fact only an edit manufactured for that CM! Aww, man, the song was still terrific, but I was SOOOO bummed that it didn’t have that beginning from the commercial!

Ah well, in the end it didn't matter, because Itsudatte Bokura Wa is SUCH a warm, feel-good tune, it STILL became one of my favorite songs, and happening upon a PV set up with translations via KUMASUBS, I found the song even MORE sweet and heartwarming! Even as I type this, I've got a huge smile on my face!

PS, Just what exactly is this a commercial FOR? What is "Yukan"? A Drama? A Movie? Or just some generic “Feel Good” thang?

1998 J-Idol Calendar Order Sheet

Another interesting artifact I dug up going through my papers was this xeroxed order form for that year's J-idol choices. REALLY nostalgic to see names like Nishida Hikaru and Miura Rieko on the list, and seeing names like Fujisaki Nanako, Yamada Mariya and Hinagata Akiko reminded me of just how much 1998 was really like the golden days of J-idol gravure for me!

Among the interesting tidbits are the fact that not only did both Megumi Ooji AND Megumi Oishii have calendars, there already was one for both Kazue Fukiishi and Takeuchi Yuko! And WHOA...there was one for Ayako Fujii? Man, the choices were endless and about as VARIED as you could get!!!

All The Hot (1998) Young Idols

Tanaka Rena

Looking for some old paperwork, I came across this incredible 1998 pictorial I saved from some long-forgotten magazine featuring eight popular and up-and-coming Idols in a wonderfully beautifully shot spread! Flipping through the eight glossy pages, it was like INSTANT NATSUKASHII seeing all the familiar faces! Really didn't think it had been all that long ago til you see these gals so YOUNG!

Tomosaka Rie

Yada Akiko

Kato Ai

It’s sweet and pleasing to see that quite a few of these girls featured are still among us and have gone onto successful careers, mainstays like Tomosaka Rie, Kato Ai, and the recently gushed-about-here Yada Akiko are all still very much around, but wow, for some like Niiyama Chihara and Kamon Yoko (who were popular enough back then, and  so pretty!) you just have to wonder, “Whatever happened to them?!”

Niiyama Chiharu

Kamon Yoko

Hinagata Akiko

And though it was a kick to see such a YOUNG Rena Tanaka in there, no picture shocked me more than when I came across the newest idol in that article, a then bright and freshly scrubbed 16 year old KAZUE FUKIISHI! You know, seeing her in dramas like SCANDAL, and of course most recently in the Matsumoto Jun drama LUCKY SEVEN, I had NO IDEA that in my files I had idol pictures of her from back when she was first starting out!

Fukiishi Kazue

Keep Up the Good Work, Ladies! We’ll keep tuning in!

And For the Counter Argument...

Riona Hazuki

Aside from the Eight pretty Idol Girls featured in the earlier article, the magazine (was it FRIday?) ALSO featured a pictorial on some of the popular actresses/gravure idols who were shot in a decidedly more SEXY vein than the “Cute” predecessor!  So here's a whole 'nother set of eight lovely ladies to feast your eyes on...

Whoo! A Smouldering Aiko Sato

... a Devastatingly Gorgeous Yumi Aso

...and a luscious Yuka in her Curvy Salad Days

Ahhhn, Looking over the girls, It’s kind of the same dilemma I had with the Idol Article, in that it’s so funny how some of these girls have endured and some of them were never heard or seen from again!

Nanako Okochi

Senna Matsuda

Jun Matsuda

As we all know, actresses Aiko Sato, Aso Yumi and Yuka went on to popular and successful  (and in the case of Hazuki Riona, perhaps infamous) careers, but for some like Jun Matsuda, and Nana Okohchi, they just fell off the grid! It’s hard to relate to someone now just how hugely popular someone like Senna Matsuda was back in the day, but she was strictly the Cat’s Meow of Gravure back then, and someone like Mariya Yamada (a personal fave of mine)- heck, besides acting bits, this girl was a regular on Tamori’s Waratte Ittomo show, so you’d think she’s still be around in SOME capacity, right? 

A Fave of Mine, Cute Mariya Yamada

Well, it’s just been announced that Yuka’s going to be releasing an all-new Bikini Shashinshuu (Awww, Hell YEAH!) , and from what they've shared with us so far, she’s looking GREAT! I think this is a good opportunity to tell all of these OTHER former Gravure Idols to get back in the groove and follow suit! LOL