I’ve always been a firm believer in the idea of ‘If you don’t like it, don’t _____ it”.  Meaning if you don’t like the music, don’t listen to it, if you don’t like the movie, don’t watch it, etc.  Sometimes with artists, we have a difficult time like a group as a whole and start to nitpick at the members themselves.  It happens with every idol group, whether they be male or female.  It also tends to happen among fans of other people.  Most Koda Kumi fans will comment in Ayumi Hamasaki forums saying that Ayumi sucks. Vice versa.  What I find interesting is when people do such things when the other person isn’t even related to the topic.  Awhile back I was visit a Koda Kumi community on Livejournal and a person made a swipe at Utada Hikaru.  Just because it’s a Koda Kumi fan community, doesn’t mean that all the members only listen to Koda Kumi.  Most people I’ve found like more than one artist.  While I am a big Utada Hikaru fan, I do enjoy music from other people almost as much.  So I was irked by the comment but saw someone posted saying that it was inappropriate considering that there were Utada Hikaru fans there.  Then a large thread of the two arguing their points happened and eventually the person who made the comment took it back.  Why even bring Utada Hikaru into the post if she has nothing to do with it at all?  I would have said the same thing if it were a Koda Kumi swipe made in an Utada Hikaru community.

What I find more irritating than vexing is this idea that people honestly think we want to hear how much you hate an artist.  It’s a free world, you have a right to your opinion.  But why would I want to focus so much anger and hatred onto one particular person when there is so much else I could be doing?  Don’t you have better things to do with your time? Or is that you have no such life and you hate the artist so much (even though you’ve never met them or spoken to them, and probably never will) that you feel a need to shout it out.  Someone needs to get their priorities straight.  I mean, if I really had nothing better to do with my time and let my dislike for certain H!P members grow to a point of ridiculous heights, I could write essays upon essays as to why I don’t like them.  But I don’t. Why? Because it’s stupid. And it’s pointless.  And you’re not making a point to the people who do like them.  Instead, those people who do like them will roll their eyes at another ‘anti-fan’.  Being an anti-fan isn’t cool, and while you and your friends who sit there griping and moaning about those artists do that, the rest of world has moved on.  It makes you look like less of a person.

I always find it annoying when people write full out posts complaining about a musical artist’s personality.  Go ahead, complain about their voice all you want, that’s your personal opinion, whatever.  But to sit and bash a person they’ve never even met before? That irritates me. It seems that it’s becoming a trend nowadays for people to write snarky remarks, and that it makes you look cooler. When presented in a silly manner, sure.  But when it starts to take over and dominant your weblog instead of posting about things you like.  It’s all in good fun, but after awhile, it gets annoying. You start to just look like a punk and while some people may do comments like “LOL!” or “Heck yeah!”, it wears down.  Not to mention the focus on that will effect you more than you think.  More than you realize.

With groups, it’s hard to not feel particularly angry with one or two members. Everyone has favorites and they want their favorite to get the spotlight.  And for the people that do get the spotlight, they get blame.  They blame that should be directed at the record company.  I don’t know how many times it’s been necessary to point that out but people just don’t get it.  They still sit there and repeat the same whining statements over and over again, thinking something will change. Guess what, it won’t. Buck up, deal with it, move on.  So if you don’t like it, don’t listen to it, if you don’t like them, ignore them.  Don’t be bitter for the artist you may like, because they obviously don’t give a crap about it.  If they do, well, that’s not really any of your business.  Lots of times as fans we forget that if the artist really did have any personal beef, they can handle it themselves. They don’t need us to be angry for them.  If they aren’t upset, it’s obvious that we shouldn’t be upset either. Yes, there is injustice in the music industry.  This is nothing new and this is something that will never change.  While the minority may scream at the top of their lungs, the majority in the end will make their final decision known.

You’re free to state your opinion on the internet, however when someone is rationally trying to express their thoughts and feelings and you speak in terms less than friendly (without even knowing the person) than you’re just making yourself look like an idiot.

I don’t particularly like to use that picture above since people tend to be very sensitive about such a thing, but unfortunately, such is the case.  What’s the point of arguing with someone who won’t listen or won’t even bother to look at your side of the issue?  But I guess that’s what blogs are for.  So that even people who don’t have the maturity to behave like an adult in a civilized discussion can also make themselves known.  With or without a point, it doesn’t matter, but if you’re going to act like a jerk in response to a perfectly calm reaction, then don’t bother replying at all.

I have very few words to say on the subject other than I’m somewhat disappointed.  I already knew that the other girls were going to get shafted for screen time, but a great deal of things left me confused.

• The dancing in the PV is okay, but I can’t help but feel parts of it are out of place.  The style doesn’t work with it and why do you need all the dancing in the first place?
• It’s obvious it’s cheap.  Tsunku, if you really wanted to make this a “new” Morning Musume, you’re only making them look less like a real group.  Whoever suggested the idea for the PV to be what it is, and just that needs to be shot multiple times. Then they need to be revived and shot again.
• I don’t expect this to do any good in a promotional sense for Morning Musume.  If anything most people judge the song by the PV.  I’m sure there are already people second guessing themselves liking the song.  Resonant Blue is a great song that is the victim of a cheap PV.
• If people were looking for any more reason to hate Kusumi, her presence as one of the three main girls is it.  I don’t mind, but it worries me since I know people are going to be having kittens and cursing her to a foul death.  Too bad she isn’t the one that decides things.  But I’m sure people will, as usual, conveniently forget this and say she’s a diva and spoiled brat, etc. etc.
• Most people who hate the video with a passion hate it because their girl got shafted for screen time. And in other news, the sky is blue.
• I’m still buying the single because I love the song way too much not to.  However I doubt I’ll watch the PV on the DVD that comes with it.

I felt completely underwhelmed after watching that PV.  What a let down.

I will start off with the following which is an excerpt from this week’s Pocket Morning. Thanks to the people at Hello!Online who posted it originally. The question was:

Of all the Hello! Project members, who would you say is “awesome”?

Most of the time the questions are pretty stupid things. So this question presented us with the girls naming people within the label whom they admire. Who they could classify as “awesome”. I expected to see a few OG members to be honest, and they named a few. Junjun surprised me by naming Nakazawa Yuko (more love to the girl for that), while others named Reina or Rika, and Ayaya was named twice (by Ai and Reina). Then I read the answers for Niigaki Risa and Mitsui Aika. And go figure, two fan favorites actually think Koharu is awesome. Go figure.

Koharu… Koharu is amazing somehow… I don’t think I’ve ever seen another kid with such a “Be Positive” attitude in my life. She’s always laughing like crazy, and never listens to what other people are telling her…Tohoho~ …Someone save me!! - Niigaki Risa

Kusumi-san ＾□＾ I think she’s really lively!! When I’m feeling down, talking to Kusumi-san makes me smile ＾□＾ – Mitsui Aika

They aren’t the only ones. Back in the days of Hello Pro Hour, Matsuura Aya was being interviewed by Goto Maki who asked her what H!P member she respects the most. Who did she answer? Kusumi! They went to discuss how Koharu never let things get to her and she is tough, she doesn’t cry, but nods her head and smiles, and listens. Here is a link to the clip: Hello Pro Hour – Episode 12 (Subtitled) (4/5)

I don’t get how people can accuse Koharu of being a “bitch” or that she’s fake when it’s already apparent that she’s actually a very sincerely positive person. I know the kid can’t sing, but her energy is infectious. To me at least. But I guess the haters will hate. I get your sick of seeing her everywhere, but apparently a lot of people do like her, otherwise you wouldn’t see her all over the place.

Weekly Shincho apparently has posted pictures (see right) of a Goto Maki sighting.  As most H!P fans know, Goto Maki surprised her fans at the final concert of her tour by announcing it would be her last H!P concert and she was graduating.  Goto Maki around the same time was inadvertently connected to a scandal because of her brother who was caught stealing cables.  While one magazine cited Goto’s leaving due to the scandal, it was later revealed that she already had intentions of leaving due to creative differences.  It seemed that Goto and H!P did not agree on the direction her career was going, so when time came to renew her contract, she chose not to stay with H!P.  While still signed as an UFA talent, Goto has been inactive (probably taking a very well deserved vacation) and it is rumored that she is going to let her UFA contract run its course.  After it expires, many hope she will move to another label (most are rooting for avex, I have mixed feelings about that) and restart her career there.

In the pictures shown, it’s obvious that Maki is a smoker, and apparently this fact is well known.  Being over 20, it’s not a big deal at all, neither is it a scandal.  I’m just happy to see that she’s freaking ALIVE.  Goto has been pretty MIA in everything, and I think it’s probably best that way.  Seeing that she got sick over the summer of 2007 due to be overworked, I’m glad she’s still resting and just taking it easy.  While I hope she will get signed again, I think as long as she is happy, I’ll be okay with that.  If I’m going to root for a label, I don’t know if I’d go with the obvious choice of avex.  While the label is one of the biggest in Japan, I can see Goto being suffocated there in competition and forced to do be an obedient lapdog as she might have been with H!P.   I would love to see a company like Sony or Toshiba pick her up, but again, as long as Goto is happy, I’ll be okay with where ever she goes.  I hope Goto sightings don’t continue to be so far and few in between, and that the next time we see her, it will be for a new single release.  Note that Goto’s scandal with her brother obviously had little effect on her marketing, since SanDisk still has her face posted on their website for advertisements.

Source: Hello-Online Forums

I know I’m discussing older songs here, but it hasn’t been till recently that I’ve really sat down and listened to the original version of “Potential Breakup Song” by Aly & AJ in addition to the Ami Suzuki cover/collaboration of the same song. When it comes to mainstream American pop, I’m picky and do not enjoy a lot of what plays on the radio. When not listening to my cracktastic Asian pop (because I do not limit my taste to just Japan), I like British indie rock (Franz Ferdinand, The Libertines, The Baby Shambles), heavy metal (Shadows Fall, In Flames, Kill Switch Engage), and good ol’ alternative. Heck, even some pop/punk like Paramore and All-American Rejects. I do have guilty pleasures in the American music scene. They include Justin Timberlake, Kelly Clarkson, and if you want to go old school, I’m an 80’s music fiend. But in general, much of what is offered to me on American radio gives me little interest, because it all starts to sound the same. This has a point, really. So when I see a name like Aly & AJ, my first thought is foremost yet another tween appealing group that I will ignore because I for some reason can’t seem to tolerate those very well. I have guilty pleasures by far, I mean, for heaven’s sake, my taste in Japanese pop music is obvious enough of that, but who was I to care about these two? Not to mention a friend of mine who is an avid fanatic of all things tween trying to shove it down my throat, I want nothing to do with it. When “Potential Breakup Song” came out, I had no idea, because I listen to American stations like DC101 which wouldn’t be caught dead playing something like that.

Then Ami Suzuki came out with her single where she “joined” (which basically means she does all the vocals and the other people are sorta there in their own way) Aly & AJ for the song. I shrugged my shoulders, since I was a fan of Ami Suzuki, downloaded it from iTunes Japan and never listened to it. I have over 100 gigs worth of music from all of Asia, so when I set it to go on “shuffle” I probably won’t hear the same song for…days. Possibly weeks. About two weeks ago, after finally putting Shiny Toy Guns’ “We Are Pilots” LP off repeat for a week or two straight, I set iTunes to shuffle and low and behold, the single came on, and I found myself baffled yet pleasantly surprised.

Never before had I heard such an…infectious song covered by a Japanese artist. I’m sure there are a lot of cover songs done by Japanese artists, but this one left me floored. I was in the middle of cleaning my room when it came on and I went rushing back to my computer to see who was singing the song. I managed to step on my dog’s tail which dogs are entirely too forgiving of me for because I am very uncoordinated. When I realized what song it was, I was surprised and thought to myself there was no way that the American version could sound near as good. I tend to fall into that illusion at times, thinking that everything Asia does is great, but certain things over time (like horror movies) have proven me wrong. I’d write up how I find Asian horror movies, particularly Japanese boring and irritating, that I’m sure lots of Japanophiles (sp?) would demand my head on a platter. Anyway, so I pretty much ignored the fact there was an American version and hadn’t bothered to look it up. So randomly when it came I figured, oh, I minus well check out the original, I doubt it’d be as good as Ami Suzuki.

Boy was I wrong. What is so great about this song is that it sounds fabulous in both versions. Where Ami Suzuki’s is more techno and Aly & AJ’s is more pop, both are great versions of the song. I’m sure a lot of people are going to cry out that one version is better than the other, but in my opinion, both are equally great. Ami is a talented vocalist who is often underused and underestimated and has put out a few great singles since her return. Her deeper voice works well with the techno/dance style that she’s making a name for herself with, and she has a great deal of sex appeal that she uses to full advantage in her videos. I’m sure one day it’ll get old to me, just like how Koda Kumi’s sexy image got boring after awhile, but until then, I think she looks great. Aly & AJ really surprised me and it got me looking into their other music, which I sadly say isn’t nearly as good as this song is. A majority of it is still very fitting for the American “tween” radio style that I don’t really care for.

Differences between the songs are few and it’s obvious they are the same song. I personally like the construction of the song. The way the verses are done, with the cynicism and sarcasm very clearly displayed through the American version, its an angry song. It builds up to chorus that does not disappoint and will get stuck in your head very easily. It’s not hard to like this song and you shouldn’t feel bad about liking it in the first place. It’s got great composition and I was frankly rather impressed that Aly & AJ actually wrote and composed the song themselves.  The Ami Suzuki version, officially, is a dance cover and while it is pretty much all Ami singing the lead vocals, you can hear the other two girls during the chorus.  That’s where the “joins” part comes in.

This isn’t my most eloquent of articles and honestly, I was really looking for a reason to gush about how much I love this song.  I’m late since both singles came out last year, but better late then never.  So here’s the song being performed live by both Ami Suzuki and the duo of Aly & AJ.  I’ll put download links of the songs up later for those who want it, but in mp3 format.

So I can’t stay away from the Japanese or Asian industry, at least not blogging about it. So what used to be positive-genki.com is moved here to WordPress under the name Outside Castle.  I hope to keep writing up articles/reviews/random thoughts/news about various elements of the Asian music industry and yeah, there you go!