 Fans waited for the mysterious 10th anniversary countdown to finish and it finally finished to reveal a documentary detailing their successful World Tour 3rd. A tour in which they visited countries such as Asia,The United Kingdom, and The United States. I was in attendance at one of their US tour dates and it really was an amazing experience. The documentary is also going to show their a live of one of their newest songs, “STORY”, taken from their incredible performance at SXSW. The documentary is going to be shown in theaters across Japan starting October 31st. No further info has been revealed about a home video release or screenings elsewhere. You can preview the trailer for it below. Here is a link to the Facebook page created for it as well: https://www.facebook.com/WE.ARE.Perfume?fref=ts -The Snakz  If you didn’t know already, Miyawaki Sakura, of HKT48 and AKB48, released a photobook this month. The self-titled Sakura photobook was so good that it sold over 60,000 copies, which means it’s sold out in Japan. Fortunately, the local Kinokuniya Bookstore in Los Angeles managed to have two copies for sale, so of course I did not hesitate to pick one up. But how good is it? Is the first Miyawaki Sakura photobook worth the price (1,500 yen in Japan and about $23 at Kinokuniya before tax)? Let’s take a look. Some photobooks can come with either a photo you can trade with others or even a two-sided poster. This one comes with different posters depending on which one you buy. You won’t know which poster you get until you take off the plastic wrapping. The one I have is of Sakura in a bikini in the forest. Yeah, I’m not taping that poster in my room mind you.  As soon as you open the photobook, it’s a photo of Sakura sitting on a cherry blossom tree. Throughout the book, you see Sakura in normal casual clothes (or sometimes a seifuku) in various settings: sleeping inside a bus, relaxing on a boat, fishing in a harbor, running in a park, and playing at a playground. Of course, you get your fair share of bikini gravure shots, which are commonplace in 48G-related photobooks. Honestly, you see more bikini gravure in standard issues of Young Animal or Weekly Playboy, so if you expected a book filled with Sakura bikini shots, that’s not the case here. She’s still cute regardless, and you have an entire book filled with the cuteness that is Miyawaki Sakura! Who needs bikini shots anyway?
One thing that bothers me about the photobook is just how much it skips from setting to setting. The pacing goes like this: two pages with Sakura in a Japanese metropolitan bus, then two pages with Sakura next to a cherry tree. Some photobooks, such Kizaki Yuria’s Peace and Shiraishi Mai’s Seijun na Otona, keep it consistent with the photo settings. For example, you get ten or so pages of Shiraishi Mai at the beach but they aren’t scattered throughout the photobook. Rather, they are all in one section. Miyawaki Sakura’s photobook doesn’t do that. All the photos seem to be shuffled around, so you get a new setting once you turn the page. This takes away from the experience the photobook is giving you. Other things you see in this photobook include a few shots of Miyawaki Sakura during concerts (such as the Young Member Zenkoku Tour), Sakura backstage, and Sakura in rehearsal with other HKT48 members. You also get a few pages that talk about Sakura’s life story, including pictures of her when she was younger. It’s a nice thing to read at the end of a photo collection. That is if you can read Japanese. There is also one part of the photobook that puts it in the “risqué” category, more so than anything in Weekly Playboy or Young Animal. There are some five or six shots in this photobook that consist of Sakura in a bed. The only problem with this is that Sakura is possibly not wearing any clothes and is covered with a white blanket. I say possibly because there are photos where Sakura’s back is exposed and it does not look like she is wearing a bra. To some this would be all fine and dandy, but the issue that arises here is that Miyawaki Sakura is only 17 years old. This issue was addressed on CDJapan (a popular import website) with Sakura’s photobook was pulled from the site. How you look at the photos is based on your own moral judgments as to whether or not it’s okay for Miyawaki Sakura to have photos like that. I will not post the photos on this review since that will spoil the “surprise”. But in my opinion, I can understand why CDJapan pulled the photobook. I can also understand why some people may find the photos too risqué for a 17-year-old. I wish Sakura waited until possibly April of 2016 to take photos like this so it would be a non-issue, but the photos are there. If you buy the photobook, all you have to do is just skip over those few pages. Overall, Sakura is a pretty decent photobook. This is not the best photobook released this year (so far I have to give that title to Yamamoto Sayaka’s SY), but this is still a good photobook for all you Miyawaki Sakura fans. I would put this photobook higher than Nishino Nanase’s Fudangi, but not higher than Kizaki Yuria’s Peace. Obviously for the Miyawaki Sakura oshi, it’s a must buy. For the individual who put Sakura in their Top 5 or maybe Top 10, it’s still worth a buy if you can find one. But for everyone else out there, your best bet would be to sit this photobook out and possibly purchase Mizugi Surprise 2015 once that comes out. I have a very strong feeling this is not going to be the last Miyawaki Sakura photobook. Give it at least five years and she’ll have a new one ready. -Nathan (L4verra)  Just weeks after the departure of member Shimamura Uta, Country Girls have released the PV for "Wakatte Iru no ni Gomen ne", one half of the new double A-Side single "Wakatte Iru no ni Gomen ne / Tamerai Summertime". Not a group to be overlooked, Country Girls does not skip a beat and they succeed in delivering a song that is sure to keep even the most diehard Uta fans interested despite the loss of the well-loved member. For more on Shimamura's departure, check here. In terms of sound, the song is a refreshing one that bears a style that is both familiar and unique to what one normally hears in Hello! Project. Lyrics come courtesy of Kodama Ameko who is quickly becoming one of my favorite Hello! Project song writers. (The first being Takui Nakajima) So this new style is probably becoming the new standard for the Tsunku-less H!P. Lyrically the song is great and the production and arrangement are spot on. One quickly remembers that unlike most idol groups, Country Girls did not have to enter the scene via the indies. The drama parts are entertaining and the girls' vocal abilities all shine throughout here. While I personally find it hard to pick a new favorite vocalist, I'm sure most fans won't be too hard pressed to find a favorite here if theirs was formally Shimamura Uta, as is the case with myself. While much has been said of the "new" Hello! Project, I think that it's fair to say that Country Girls are leading this new era in both their skill and the management's push with giving them good songs and PVs. Now onto the PV itself. While only a few things separate this from the typical Hello! Project-type video, with a central dance shot only broken up occasionally by close-ups, the locations are great and the girls do a good job in the in-between drama sequences. Seriously though, that kabe-don anyone? Acting in the aforementioned drama scenes is spot on as is the dance. Speaking of the dance, the choreography is a welcome step-up from what is usually seen outside the main H!P groups. Then again, I guess in this new era Country Girls is a main H!P group. The costumes run along the usual here, there are two and we can easily guess which one will be the one most featured live in concert, but what else can be said about Momoko's outfit and make-up? I will once again stop here and reiterate that I am still not totally sure what her continued presence will be in the group, but I am glad for it nonetheless! The wrap-around story sequences also do a good job breaking up the typical Hello! Project PV monotony. There you have it! We have an awesome new Hello! Project PV to enjoy and a short wait until the second one is released. Be sure to check it out and pick up the single itself when it drops August 5th. Enjoy! Country Girls Are: ◆Tsugunaga Momoko (嗣永桃子) (Play Manager) ◆Yamaki Risa (山木梨沙) ◆Inaba Manaka (稲場愛香) ◆Morito Chisaki (森戸知沙希) ◆Ozeki Mai (小関舞)  
Fantasy Idul Unit, Starmarie recently released their second PV with the current five member line-up. The PV is for the song "Mekurumeku Yuuki!" and it's somewhat of a departure of the group's recent outings, especially their most recent single "Circus wo Koroshitano wa Dareda" ("Who Killed Circus"). The video also features a more light-hearted feel that matches the song and will be a pleasant treat to fans and newcomers alike. The five member line-up of Starmarie has been around for a while now, but it seems that the group is finally starting to hit their stride. Originally formed as a five member unit, the group was more popularized as a trio. Since their formation the group has gone through many forms and have finally returned to one that is familiar to what fans saw on their debut release. Being an indie idol group, Starmarie has the typical troubles of an idol group trying to stay relevant in a scene that is constantly changing and creating, forming and reforming other groups at a somewhat alarming rate. Besides this, the group has had something of an image identity crisis probably owing to the fact that the line-up is only now truly beginning to stabilize and that they have been around a long time with a very diverse back catalog of music that only the most hardcore of fans is familiar with. One way to stay relevant in the current Japanese music scene is to take part in the many cross-over opportunities that are open to music artists both for television and film. Starmarie are lucky in that their latest single does just that. "Mekurumeku Yuuki" isn't just their latest single, it is also the new closing song for the anime "Card Fight!! Vanguard G”. This anime will air in a prime slot on Japanese TV and fans can hope that this level of exposure will finally bring Starmarie the type of exposure they deserve. Onto the video itself. The video itself is fairly simple with a generic setting and only the most basic of cuts, but it serves its purpose well. While, the location and shots are simple, the sepia tones and the placement of the girls themselves are nice touches. The girls look good here and the style of the song warrants repeat listens. My only true complaint about the video is that it is only a short preview. While I cannot speak of the rest of the PV, I'm sure that while it won't be able to rival the amazing storyline found in "Circus wo Koroshitano wa Dareda", it'll have a charm all of its own. If you're a fan of Starmarie and haven't checked this one out yet, do yourself a favor and do so now! Everyone else, please give them a shot! Be sure to pick this single up and keep an eye out for future updates from our favorite Fantasy Idol Unit! Starmarie Are: ●Nozomi Kishita / 木下望 ●Shino Takamori / 高森紫乃 ●Matsuzaki Hiroka / 松崎博香 ●Nakane Motoko / 中根礎子 ●Watanabe Kaede / 渡辺楓 
BAND-MAID are back with a new look and PV for the song "REAL EXISTENCE"! While still sporting their trademark maid motif, the band has taken a slightly darker approach to the usually-cute black/white maid style. This departure can especially be seen in Saiki (Vocals) and MISA's (bass) outfits which are both maid-inspired, but all black. MISA's outfit itself is unique as well in that it can be argued that the maid style is minimal if all but non-existent. Sound-wise the song is not necessarily a departure from their previous works, but is a welcome dose of hard-rock that one would probably not expect from the group had they not been familiar with them before. The video itself is beautifully shot with some amazing location choices and a level of style one usually doesn't see in independent releases. All the girls get ample screen time and look great here. While this quintet has proven that they have the musical chops to match their rivals, they are in rare form in this track. Akane's drumming is spot on and keeps the band perfectly in time. MISA's bass fills in the second verse are notable as is her playing in general throughout. Do I even have to point out the blistering guitar solo from Kanami? This is a band that shouldn't be taken lightly! The twin vocals of Saiki and Miku are executed perfectly and the whole package becomes something that this writer feels goes far beyond their gimmick of being a band made up of musicians dressed up as maids. I give it until the release of their next album till they are fully recognized for the amazing musicians they are. BAND-MAID is a five-member all-girl rock band that are managed by Platinum Production and are on the Gump Records label. They formed in July 2013 and had their first live on July 24, 2013 at SHIBUYA-AX. January 8, 2014 saw the release of their first album, titled "MAID IN JAPAN", and they released their first single, "Ai to Jounetsu no Matadore" on August 13, 2014. Be sure to keep an eye out for the band's future releases as they are one of the hot new band's to watch! Here's to their next release! BAND-MAID Are: ◆ Saiki - Vocals ◆ Kobato Miku - Guitar & Vocals ◆ Tono Kanami - Guitar ◆ Hirose Akane - Drums (Leader) ◆ MISA - Bass It has been almost a year since the Ebisu Muscats Facebook page was updated and some 2 years since the lineup disbanded. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, this post came along. 
It says something when there’s a countdown page on the Ebisu Muscats website. What is it exactly? Why put the time and effort to make a countdown regarding a group that disbanded some 2 years ago? Well, a few things come to mind, especially regarding the magnitude of this announcement. On this article, I am going to make guesses as to what this announcement may be. We won’t know exactly what it is until July 2nd, but whatever it is, it sure as hell feels like it will live up to the hype. When I write this, I leave you with this warning: the women I am going to mention on this article may have another career besides the lovely world of Japanese pop idols. Simply put, a majority of them are in the AV (Adult Video) Industry in Japan, so the second you search up one of them on Google Images, you may see some images that are a little explicit. So please take this as a warning: this article may not be safe for work. While the article itself is completely safe, I cannot control what you do the second you close this article, so just keep that in mind as you read. Ready? Here are the predictions for the big Ebisu Muscats announcement! The Ebisu Muscats Reunion This one is the easy choice. A lot of women seemed to come and go among the Ebisu Muscats roster. Imagine if management somehow brought them all back for a concert, variety show, or even an unreleased single. All your favorite Ebisu Muscats, from Asami Yuma, Kishi Aino, Yoshizawa Akiho, and so on, could come back one more time. To be honest, I would sure as hell like to see my original kami oshi, Rukawa Rina, perform J-Pop songs with the Ebisu Muscats one final time. Whether that would be the classic “Banana Mango High School” or something borrowed from AKB48 like “Heavy Rotation”, it would be a blast to see her again. However, there is pretty reasonable doubt that a reunion may not actually happen. Given that a lot of the Muscats had ties with Japanese Adult Video companies, those ties, for the most part, are gone. A few Ebisu Muscats retired or are retiring from the AV industry, including Kishi Aino, Asami Yuma, and in August, Rukawa Rina. The only way a reunion would take place is if the fans demanded one; the reunion would have nothing to do with the AV companies. There is an Ebisu Muscats fan base, and it still remains strong, even to this day. An Entirely New Roster This is yet another prediction that seems all the more realistic. Basically, the roster would be revamped to suit a younger generation of Ebisu Muscats, all of whom would be in the AV industry or gravure industry. There are many AV/gravure idols in Japan, but the picks from management have to stand out compared to everyone else. Take into account the lovely lady in the video: Sakura Yura. If there is anybody who could continue the Ebisu Muscats “J-Pop AV Idol” trend, it’s her. First off, Sakura Yura actually looks like an idol. She has the same aura that Rukawa Rina had when she was around. Yes, she is in the AV industry as well, so she would be a near perfect addition to the new Ebisu Muscats. She could even be the captain of this new roster; who knows. There are plenty of AV idols that I could name off the top of my head who would make a fantastic addition to the Ebisu Muscats roster, such as Kana Yume, Tsuji Yuu, Ogawa Meruru, Hasegawa Shizuku, Tsuruta Kana, Yumeno Aika, and Usami Mai. Remember what I said about searching them up. Honestly, I have no idea what the Muscats have in store. The countdown on the Ebisu Muscats website is getting me all excited for something I have no idea about. These two hypotheses are all I could bring to the table, but what if it were to be something really random? Could it be a new single with AKB48’s Kojima Haruna? Or maybe an entirely new album filled with new songs the public has never heard before? Who knows? All I do know is this. Bring my kami oshi back please!
-L4verra (Nathan)   On April 21st 2015, GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE announced their first world tour. An extension of their recent tour GENERATION EX, they planned to perform 6 concerts overseas in Paris, London, Los Angeles, New York, Taipei, and Hong Kong. As a fan of GENE since their third single, I was ecstatic to see they would be performing in LA! Tickets were fairly cheap, 12$ for General Admission and 30$ for VIP, so I grabbed a VIP ticket the moment they were on sale and the seemingly eternal wait till the concert commenced. The Paris and London concerts were successful. Fans sang Happy Birthday to member Hayato and posted photos and videos on twitter. The LA concert, and the first of the US shows, was set for June 16th, so on June 15th, when all GENE social media was quiet, I began to worry a little. It’s typical for music groups to post when they arrive in a country but I didn’t want to dwell, but after going through twitter, I can see other fans felt similarly. Maybe they were just exhausted from travel? Maybe they were too busy getting settled? Regardless, I set off to bed with my clothes and concert gear ready for the following evening. At around 6am, the official facebook page for GENE made the announcement: GENERATIONS WORLD TOUR 2015 Cancellation Notice for the “GENERATION EX” Los Angeles and New York Shows We regret to inform all of the GENERATIONS fans that the GENERATIONS shows on June 16th at the Echoplex in Los Angeles and the June 19th show at the Santos Party House in New York were cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances where any and all visa issuance for travel to the United States were temporarily suspended. We have been working night and day to overcome this problem but were unsuccessful due to it being on a scale that affected the entire immigration system. The members of GENERATIONS are truly heartbroken over this result and we apologize sincerely for this difficult decision. We would like to thank you all once again for your continuous support of GENERATIONS. Information regarding ticket refunds will be announced through the ticketing websites from which you purchased your tickets. The absolute last thing you want to see on the day of a concert you’ve been preparing for for a few months. The concert was absolutely cancelled and this was only cemented further when we received our refunds that afternoon. How could this happen and on such short notice? There was speculation that they were simply denied their visas because the US is strict about overseas performers. Others thought they just didn’t apply for visas ahead of time. According to the official statement and the cancellation email from Echoplex (The LA concert venue) the fault lies on the department in charge of US visas, but what does that even mean?
The situation was cleared up a bit when the US Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs posted an update about technological issues regarding passports and Visas. Basically, on June 9th the State Department experienced hardware failures in their computer systems, preventing transmission of data related to visas and passports. As such, there is a sudden and unexpected backlog of visas that cannot be approved or distributed. This problem is affecting people coming from and going to all countries, so the theory that this was related to the US being strict toward Japanese acts is debunked. This computer issue is entirely to blame for the concerts being cancelled and is leading to similar trouble for anyone trying to enter the US for business or receive a new passport. (On a similar note, Japanese group CROSSFAITH is experiencing similar difficulty coming to the US for the Warped Tour.) There’s absolutely nothing they could do at this point. Despite the circumstances of their tour, they cannot receive priority on their visa request either (currently, only humanitarian travel and adoption related trips receive priority.) This situation is tragic, to say the least, for both fans and GENE. Many fans planned trips to LA and NY for the shows and can lose money on hotels and travel. Others took time off work or changed their schedules around in preparation. The members of GENE must be heartbroken knowing they cannot see their fans over here or hold the performances they worked so hard training for. And while many fans are losing money on this, LDH is losing a lot as well. It’s unlikely they can get the deposit on the venue back, or the money spent on their airline tickets or hotels, and all the tickets have been refunded. There was a lot of potential in this show. Personally, I was excited at the possibility of them performing the English versions of their single tracks. It would have been a simple, but powerful way for them to connect with the audiences over here. alavic_222 and myself planned a big A-to-J Connections review of the concert that would be vastly different from any we’ve published before. A successful GENE tour could have even lead to other EXILE family groups coming abroad. For now, we can only imagine all that could have come from the success of this tour. While there’s no word yet on rescheduling the shows, maybe they will plan something later this year or early next year. I hope we can see such a thing happen so GENE can fulfill their wish to perform here. In the mean time, let’s continue to be supportive of LDH and encourage them to pursue returning to the US. For more information about the Visa/Passport issue please click here. -AMiE/あみぃ 
LoVendoR's PV for the song "Futsuu no Watashi Ganbare!" was recently released and this video is just as much fun as one comes to expect from the four-member, all-girl group!  The new PV is the second from the group's upcoming major debut single "Iin ja nai?/Futsuu no Watashi Ganbare!". I previously covered the release of the first PV from this single (Can be found here) and just a few days later we are treated to the second! While the two songs differ in many ways, they both give the listener the solid, fun sound that is LoVendoR. First and foremost in the changes is the fact that this song has a different team behind it that "Iin ja nai?". While Takui Nakajima handled writing duties the first time around, this time Watanabe Miki provided the music and former Hello! Project mastermind, Tsunku, provides the lyrics. This latter point is interesting as it lends an element to the song that many have missed in the recent Hello! Project outings of late. The song's message is positive as one expects and has the catchy feel that both draws in first-time listeners and keeps them coming back again and again. Being that the song is written in a more pop feel than some of their more rock-oriented numbers don't expect too much in the way of shocking drum fills or blistering guitar solos. That said, the song will most definitely have you singing along by the second chorus!  Let's look at the song performance for a minute. I usually rave about Tanaka Reina's singing when I talk about LoVendoR, but I have to say that I feel that Okada Marina stole the show on this one. While their vocal style works well together on this song, for some reason I felt that there were two completely different sounds in this song and Marina's was definitely the one that I preferred. Also I feel that her personality comes out in the video more so than Reina's and this only leads to one to want to pay even more attention to her. What about her "Samashii samashii deshou?" line in the final chorus? I'll admit that when I first heard that part I was taken out of the song, but it has since grown on me and I like that little touch. Back to the main point, her vocal style seems to suit this song like a glove and while I don't think that Reina is out of place, I do feel that she was overshadowed in this song greatly by Marina. This is not necessarily a bad thing as I think there are times when Reina receives just a little too much attention.
Musically we get the twin guitar stylings of Marin and Yuki here and while their playing is not front and center as it is on some songs, the two do an awesome job showcasing their skills as well as laying down some nice shared melodies and solos.  Moving onto the video itself. Simply put, it's playful, fun and colorful. That could be said about a lof of recent UFA PVs, but there is a bit more meat to this video that we usually get from Up-Front. I think this has to do with the subject matter at hand as there is a bit more to work with in terms of concept. Playing off the theme of the song, we see the girls engaging in various activities. These activities come about when they are inspired by a certain group they see on TV! We get some nice fortune telling by Miyazawa Marin, some random hobbies (That rabbit in the hat!) from Tanaka Reina, dress up from Marina and just some awesome partying and rocking out from Uozumi Yuki! The side scenes give the girls some time to have fun on screen, but it is these segments that I feel that Marina and Marin visually steal the show. They not only look great, but their quirks shine through here. Lots of fun was clearly had here and that feeling comes through in both song and video. While there are a few extra shots than one usually sees, it is important to not that the video is not too far removed from the general type that Up-Front commits to these days. Thankfully, it happens to be a good example of how the simple PV formula can be done well. On a final note, be sure to watch until the very end to see more funny bits from Marin... 
That's it for now! Check out the PV itself in full below and be sure to pick up the single, "Iin Ja Nai?/Futsuu no Watashi Ganbare!" when it drops July 1st! Remember, be careful when playing with nunchaku! -alavic_222 LoVendoR Are: ◆ Tanaka Reina (田中麗奈) (Vocals) ◆ Okada Marina (岡田万里奈) (Vocals) ◆ Uozumi Yuki (魚住有希) (Guitar) ◆ Miyazawa Marin (宮澤茉凛) (Guitar) Official Website: http://lovendor.jp/ 
On the 6th of June an official announcement was put out by Up-Front Promotion that Uta Shimamura’s contract with the company would be cancelled due to a disagreement on the terms of the contract. It was said that the family and Up-Front Promotion could not come to an agreement on contract terms that was satisfying to both parties, the contract was thus terminated. 
Uta originally auditioned for Morning Musume ‘14’s 12th generation of members, but didn’t make it all the way. She was eventually added to the new and improved Country Musume, which got renamed to Country Girls. With the shaky history of Country Musume, Country Girls managed to get off to an explosive start with their major debut release of Itooshikutte Gomen ne / Koi Dorobou. This was not just due to the music, but due to the amazing synergy all the girls had witch each other along with the timing of their unveiling (following along the heels of Berryz Kobo’s indefinite hiatus news). It helped renew faith and reinvigorate interest in Hello! Project all over again. It wasn’t the sole reason, but it was one of many that escalated this interest. Being a member of Country Girls, Uta quickly became popular due to her extremely cute demeanor and presentation. In many ways she rivaled even Momoko Tsugunaga, who has reigned over the realm of cuteness since Sayumi Michishige graduated from Morning Musume ’14. In recent times though, Uta had been silent from a lot of social media in comparison with her fellow members in Hello! Project, and this announcement helped solidify all of our fears. Statements have been left by all the members as well as their supervisor, Mai Satoda. The tone is almost universally the same: sorrow, surprise and a slight tinge of disappointment with a touch of hope moving forward. 
While this is tough to accept for Country Girls fans and especially for Uta fans, please do your best to support her and her family in this decision. Most importantly, don’t forget to continue to support Country Girls during this time, since the transition can quickly either go sour or move forward depending on how fan support goes. I wish Uta Shimamura the best of luck in her future endeavors. Below is a link to the Country Girls Fan Club Facebook Page’s post that contains translations of the announcement and the messages from the individual members. Member Messages (Click Here) Below are the music videos for their double A-side ‘debut’ single. -Bowser05  Hot on the announcement of their major label debut, LoVendoR releases the first PV from their double A-side single, "Iin Ja Nai?/Futsuu no Watashi Ganbare!"  The song featured in this first PV is "Iin Ja Nai?" which is not only the lead-off track of the single, but also composed by fellow Up-Front artist, Takui Nakajima. Nakajima has lent his talents to Hello! Project artists Abe Natsumi, Dia Lady and Mano Erina in the past. Most recently his songs "Taiki Bansei" and "Tsugi no Kado wo Magare" were concurrently recorded by ANGERME and C-ute respectively. Being that his style is far more rock than what one typically associates with idols, his work with LoVendoR (He has also written several of their songs in the past including their single "Ikujinashi") is something to take note of. The rock stylings of these four girls, led by former Morning Musume member, Tanaka Reina, is set to take the Japanese music scene by storm!  The video opens with Reina coming out of a trunk, or a box if you will. This is fitting as this song is hard to put into any traditional genre and indeed goes outside the box of what one probably first expects. Clearly rocking but complete with an accessible pop feel, this song is the proper major debut they deserve. Tanaka Reina and Okada Marina trade off vocals perfectly here and harmonize as well as they have in all their past releases. I've always said that I feel that Reina's voice is more suited to this style than what she performed when she was in Morning Musume and that stands true now. Marina's vocals are awesome as well. That said, there is one odd moment in the second chorus where she is singing into an imaginary microphone that I couldn't help but notice. I don't know if this was intentional or a slight error that made it into the video, but it definitely drew my attention. I can recall fellow ex-Morning Musume member, Kusumi Koharu, talking about the many retakes that had to be done on Morning Musume's "Iroppoi Jiretai" because she did the exact same thing take after take. Back to the song itself, Uozumi Yuki and Miyazawa Marin do an amazing job on twin lead guitars and lay down an awesome solo to round out the musical package.  Visually, the PV is very colorful both in location and in the outfits chosen for the girls. All is bright and cheerful matching the general theme of the song itself. There is the usual Up-Front simplicity present here (Group shots separarted by solo shots with little in between or much in way of "plot") but they always seem to know how to pull off simple well without it feeling plain. There is also a playfulness both within the song, and the interaction with the members, that make this song quite infectious. I defy anyone to not be singing along by song's end! There you have it! Check out the PV itself in full below and be sure to pick up the single, "Iin Ja Nai?/Futsuu no Watashi Ganbare!" when it drops July 1st! Remember "Those who have fun win!" Also, who is "Wilson"?.... -alavic_222 LoVendoR Are: ◆ Tanaka Reina (田中麗奈) (Vocals) ◆ Okada Marina (岡田万里奈) (Vocals) ◆ Uozumi Yuki (魚住有希) (Guitar) ◆ Miyazawa Marin (宮澤茉凛) (Guitar) Official Website: http://lovendor.jp/  |
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