Getting ready…

I haven’t had much time to blog. But I did find the time to upload this picture.

I'm starting out with these but I'm hoping to find brighter ones.

Had to test them out.

Buono! 12th of February. La Machine du Moulin Rouge. It’s gonna be fun.

Let’s talk about idol photographs

When it comes to buying idol-related merchandise the possibilities are endless. We idol-fans buy things because we love our idols and their work. Many fans choose to focus on buying the singles, sometimes buying many copies to ensure their favorite group places higher on the Oricon charts. Other prefer concert DVD’s. There’s also shirts, wristbands, phonestraps, towels and various special items (ranging from alarm clocks to stylish necklaces) to cater to the whims of every fan. I myself have purchased many of these, mostly focusing on CD’s, PB’s, DVD’s as well as the odd shirt. That being said there is one category of idol goods that I’ve never bought and that would be photosets. I’d rather spend a bit more money and have a full-fledged photobook like this recently purchased copy of Morning Musume’s Alo-Hello 2011 pictured below.

A very nice photobook indeed.

Yet, there are fans that will spend enormous amounts of money, time and effort collecting these photo’s. Just take a gander at HelloStoreUSA’s Flickr pool. Some want them all, others only want their favorite member or group and in many cases the tried and true collectors mentality is well at work. People hunt for these on Ebay or Yahoo Auctions Japan. While I personally have no interest in them and do not purchase any of them, I somehow have amassed a small collection of them. There’s is just no avoiding them. If you like idols enough to buy their merchandise you will get them at some point.

These are just the recent ones.

The reason for this is because photos come as free bonuses with so many other pieces of idol merchandise, especially with photobooks and T-Shirts. Some times it’s one picture per member, other times it’s a group shot but there will almost always be one. I’ve accumulated so many of them I’ve actually had to go out and buy photo binder pages just to keep them all organised.

They just keep coming!

In the end, it seems it can’t be helped. Idol-photos and the fans who collect them. You can’t avoid them, no matter how hard you try. So you organise them, you put them in a binder and when you find a few minutes of free time, you might be inclined to open that binder, sit back and just enjoy while flipping through the pages.

Because the truth of the matter is that, deep down, every idol fan is a photoset collector on some level. Even if it’s just the complementary ones.

Let’s talk about a bunch of GETS!!!

Time to list off some recent GETS!!! rapid-fire style.

First up: Busu ni Naranai Tetsugaku by Hello! Project Mobekimasu

Morning Musume version on the left, Limited A (with included DVD) on the right.

There are times when I feel like certain singles were made just for me and this is one of those times. This is without a doubt my favorite Hello! Project release of the year. Busu ni Naranai Tetsugaku is a killer song that will certainly appeal to Morning Musume fans of the Platinum 9 era or any lovers of 12, Smart and 7 Berryz Times. It’s a privilege to hear Sugaya Risako and Tanaka Reina as lead vocals in the same song, as it is to see relative newcomer Sayashi Riho lead the dance formation in the music video. The coupling song Kacchoii Uta is upbeat, a nice contrast to Busu ni Naranai Tetsugaku and comes in five flavors, one for each part of Mobekimasu. The second coupling song Moshimo…  also allows some of the usually less featured members of H!P to shine. This release is an allround succes.

Next up we have Shinshoku Dolce and Shoujo Jikake no Libretto ~LOLITAWORK LIBRETTO~ by Wakeshima Kanon.

Great debut album on the right, awesome sophomore album on the left.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I had ordered Wakeshima Kanon’s two albums and I certainly didn’t end up dissapointed. These albums sound best when listened to in their entirety, without skipping tracks, something which is a rare thing these days. I’ve become quite the Wakeshima Kanon fan. Her most unique voice as well as supreme cello performances make these two albums a great purchase.

Next up we have Kitahara Sayaka’s second single Kanari Junjou.

H!P graduate: quality ensured.

While not too many people follow her, I’ve taken a liking to her work. This single, like the one before it, is once again a theme song of the Inuzama Eleven Go anime so it retains the same style as her debut single. If you didn’t like that one, you probably won’t enjoy this one either but I just love it and I hope she will be able to keep releasing songs in the future.

Following Kanari Junjou we have Aiyai Aiyai! by Tokito Ami.

The megane-idol of your dreams.

I mentioned Tokito Ami in one of my posts back in March. She’s an often forgotten member of the “Tsunku♂-family” and that’s a shame really. I find that Tsunku♂ did some of his best work on her singles. Her gravure is top notch as well. From what I’ve heard she’s still keeping busy these days, MC’ing various events and releasing DVD’s.

Next is the very quirky Roudou Sanka by Momoiro Clover Z

You have idols and then you have Momoclo.

While the main song Roudou Sanka is very decent and the second coupling song BIONIC CHERRY on the Regular Edition is nothing to scoff at, the real star of this release is Santa-san. Momoiro Clover Z show us their take on Christmas in the typical Momoclo way. It’s fun, it’s hyper and downright weird, filled with small gags and references that will certainly appeal to long time fans. By the time Christmas does come around, I’m pretty sure I still won’t be bored of this song.

Finally we have the 2011 Hello!Project Summer concert DVD’s, Wow Wow and Yeah Yeah.

There's also a Blu-Ray edition which combines both and has a bunch of extra's.

I haven’t watched these DVD’s in full yet but I have skimmed through them and watched some of the good bits. The Bekimasu performance of Makeruna Wasshoi is fun on both DVD’s, the various new singles at the time of recording are performed expertly and the bug outfits are just so fun to see in action. These DVD’s also feature a lot more interaction between the girls and Sharan Q’s Makoto, our trusty H!P MC. Let me take this moment to thank the man. Where would we be without trusty Makoto at these concerts? He’s the one that glues it all together, the straightman in a whirlwind of sound and light.

This was also of course the concert tour where the S/mileage submembers were announced. While the Wow Wow DVD has a small MC featuring the new members, the Yeah Yeah DVD has the full blown announcement and it is very enjoyable to watch. Its starts off with a Tsunku♂ version of  Uchouten LOVE playing, the S/mileage girls freaking out and some of the Eggs giggling like mad. When the man himself steps on stage full of confidence, crowd chanting along and well aware that every eye is on him I just started smiling. Think what you will of him, but the man knows how to make an entrance.

All of the above items can be purchased on CDJapan (see list below), and I for one am very glad I did so.

• Busu ni Naranai Tetsugaku (also on iTunes)
• Shinshoku Dolce (also on iTunes) & Shoujo Jikake no Libretto ~LOLITAWORK LIBRETTO~ (also on iTunes)
• Kanari Junjou (also on iTunes)
• Ayai! Ayai!
• Roudou Sanka
• Hello Project 2011 Summer Wow Wow & Yeah Yeah