Survey Says…

Another J-Pop music survey, this time from Celestia at Bikkuri Project:

1. You have found a magical J-pop genie who will grant you one J-pop related wish (so no wishing for a million dollars or world peace or anything like that). It can be virtually anything as long as it’s directly related to J-pop, and don’t worry, because this is the nice sort of genie, not the kind who will try to find a loop-hole and screw up your wish. So, what do you wish for???

I want Regionless DVD box sets of Hello!Morning with English subtitles.  If that’s not “directly” related enough to J-pop for you, though…

I want to be able to drive down to my local Wal-Mart or record store and buy any J-pop album or single I want. (In other words, I want worldwide mainstream distribution for J-pop music, so I don’t have to rely on online retailers or kind souls on eBay to supply me with my “fix” of J-pop goodness.)  I love getting packages in the mail, but there’s just something about proudly walking into a “brick and mortar” store and giving them money for Sexy 8 Beat, and walking out again with it tucked away in a little plastic bag that really appeals to me.  Yes, I already have that album, but that’s the first one I’d buy, just to show my support for the genre’s introduction into mainstream American culture.

2. Is there any J-pop artist or group who seriously pisses you off? If yes, who, and why?

Nope.  If I don’t like or care for an artist or group, J-pop or otherwise, I just won’t follow their work.  Life’s too short to waste time hating people or things when I can spend that time on someone or something I enjoy instead.  Seems a bit pointless, if you ask me.

3. Who do you think is the sexiest japanese singer out there?

Kumi Koda, ’nuff said.

4. How about the cutest?

Mari Yaguchi

5. Best personality?

Ai Takahashi

6. If given the opportunity, would you rather date person 3, person 4, or person 5?

I think I’d rather date Mari, she seems like she’d be a lot of fun to hang out with.  Marriage-wise, if it were to lead to that, Aichan would be my pick.

7. You work for a Japanese music magazine, and you have the opportunity to interview your favorite artist or group. What are a couple of the questions you want to ask them?

Hmm, I don’t know.  Probably something generic and uninteresting like “What would you like to say to your foreign fans?”  If it’s one of the three ladies I mentioned earlier, I’d probably ask “Would you go out with me?”  The magazine might fire me immediately afterward, but I’d be a fool not to ask.

8. What’s the best (J-pop) song to listen to when you are really sad?

Tough one.  I don’t really get that sad anymore.  I’m currently in a sort of state of grace when it comes to that sort of thing.  The only time I get sad much these days is when I think about dying.  I’ve always been afraid of it, so songs that tell me to make the most of life while I have it are the songs I like the most at that time.  For that reason, I really really like Mikan by Morning Musume.  It always cheers me up with its positive energy.

9. When you’re really happy?

I have three.  Shanimuni Paradise and Haru Beautiful Everyday by Morning Musume, and Dopamine by m-flo loves Emyli and Diggy-MO’.  SP is like summers off from school when I was a kid, that happy carefree time when I and my brother could play all day long in the kitchen floor with our toys with no worries.  HBE almost feels like a sixties song, simple and beautiful and timeless in its appeal.  Dopamine ’cause it rocks.

10. Do you often sing along to your favorite songs?

I try, but I don’t really know the words to most of them.  That’s only because I haven’t truly set my mind to it yet.  I figure if I can learn the words to Dragostea din tei and the Nations of the World song from Animaniacs, I can learn the words to any song.

11. How about dance?

Um, no.  Hop and skip around my bed as I make it up of a morning?  Sure.  Dance?  I wouldn’t call it that, no.

12. Artistic integrity question!! If someone offerrered to pay you for blogging, but they were allowed to censor some of your opinions or veto some of your blogging ideas, would you do it?

It depends.  All writing done on a professional basis for pay is subject to the whims of your editor and/or the people paying you to write, so they have to have at least some say in the topics you cover and what you’re allowed to say on their behalf (and it would be on their behalf, since they’re paying you).

In my mind, censorship and topic veto don’t come into the realm of “artistic integrity”.  Artistic integrity, as I see it pertaining to “opinion” blogging, is to tell the truth of your own opinions.  They can take out things I’ve said, and it would be censorship, but I wouldn’t be lying.  The words just wouldn’t be there at all.  If they don’t want me to write about a certain topic, I just wouldn’t write about it.  I’d only be lying (and therefore sacrificing my artistic integrity) if I posted something I didn’t believe, which I refuse to do.

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• My Bikkuri Project Survey Answers
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