Okay, so I saw this on Morningtime, and he saw it on Hello!Blog, who saw it on Merry Go Round, it’s basically an opinion poll on the Best of 2008 from the world of H!P.
What does the Pexmeister think about last year? Well…
Best Group Single – Cinderella Complex (High-King)
I did have this entry written already (with Resonant Blue getting the win), but then I remembered Cinderella Complex. I’m honestly shocked that I decided to change my decision, but as good as RB and its previous contenders (Pepper Keibu, Edo no Temari Uta II, and Dschinghis Khan) are, they can’t compare to this slice of aural excellence.
Best Soloist Single – Papancake (Koharu Kusumi) & Kizuna (Aya Matsuura) TIE
I used to want to smack people who gave “TIE” awards. I used to feel it was cheating. I still do, I guess, but I honestly can’t choose between the two. They both perfectly capture the twin sides of H!P for me. Papancake is sheer cracktastic Koharu at her best representing the sugary-kiddie-pop side of H!P which, let’s face it, has been around at least since the time of Minimoni. You can’t honestly tell me that you like the “Ai-n” songs but find Papancake silly. Well, you can tell me that, but I’ll laugh at you, because you’re being silly. On the other end of the spectrum, Kizuna represents the soulful introspective ballads the H!P soloists are usually best known for. In short, they are both the best there is at what they do, and I cannot choose between them. Nor do I wish to.
Best Group Album – Cover You (Morning Musume)
Although I got both 5(Five) and 3rd Love Escalation for Christmas, I have yet to listen to them. Even if I had, there’s just no way that those two albums would beat Cover You. Yes, none of the songs on the album are actually “Morning Musume Songs” as such, but that doesn’t matter. The girls take those songs and make them their ow…no, actually, I can’t really make that judgement. The only one I’d heard prior to the album’s release was Pepper Keibu, and even that one was “tainted” by MM from the very first time I heard it, because my first time hearing the song is via a clip from the docu-drama about the songwriter, and Ai-chan and Risa were singing it. So in my mind, all these songs are Morning Musume songs. With that in mind, Cover You stands out as their most…cohesive album to date. It’s currently tied with Sexy 8 Beat as my favorite MM album of all time.
Best Soloist Album – Legend (Yuko Nakazawa)
No, I don’t have it yet (I plan on getting it for my birthday), but I’ve seen some of the PVs, and though Nacchi has some good songs (and I plan on getting hers for my birthday as well), I’m looking forward to this one more. The Elder Stateswoman of H!P deserves no less than the Best, and so, I give her the award for Best Soloist Album.
Best PV – Resonant Blue (The Version that combines all the other versions into a proper PV)
I remember when music videos (as the non-JPop crowd – as well as myself – like to call PVs) used to tell a story. They would have different scenes, cutting back and forth and weaving a story, setting a mood, and entertaining us. I miss videos like that. Ai-chan on her exercise bike, Risa in the cab, Reina walking through the streets at night…these scenes all say “Resonant Blue” to me. I would choose the version containing only those elements, but there’s something inviting about watching the girls warm up and practicing their dance routines. It’s one of the most normal things I’ve ever seen them do, and I quite like that scene because of it. As a result, I could not separate the versions. I feel I must give an honorary mention to Edo no Temari Uta II because of Chisato’s outfit as well as the outstanding minimalist background silhouettes set design. It totally rocks. Just not enough to win.
Group With Best Overall Releases – Morning Musume
Yes, C-ute and Berryz both released more, but I don’t feel MM should be penalized because of the quantity of releases. They all did very well, but MM’s two singles are two of my favorites by them ever, so in the end, they just had to win.
Best New Group Debuted in 2008 – High-King
It’s funny that, even though I like all three members of Buono, I’ve only listened to maybe one or two of their songs. I don’t know why I can’t get into them. Laziness, I imagine. Either way, High-King refused to let me be lazy. You pretty much had to notice these girls, even if they only released one single and are unlikely to ever release any more. It was just that unforgettable.
Best New Soloist Debuted in 2008 – Erina Mano
Erm…isn’t she the only soloist to debut this year? I can’t remember. Anyway, I haven’t heard anything of hers yet, but since she supposedly plays her own piano music, I’ll give her props for that. I can’t even play Guitar Hero and talk at the same time.
Best Established Group Did Not Debut in 2008 – Morning Musume
C’mon, did you really think I was going to pick anyone else? They’re the flagship, and rightly so. They may not have had as many releases as the other groups (well, more than Melon Kinenbi, but you know what I mean), but the two they had were among the best the group has ever released, so I have to give them props. I will say that Berryz and C-ute both had very strong releases throughout the year.
Best Established Soloist Did Not Debut in 2008 – Koharu Kusumi
I like Koharu’s Kirarin singing voice. I said it, and I’m not ashamed. Her songs have always been fun, ever since Balalaika, and this year’s single, Papancake was no exception. I like her voice so much that I even consider the Milky Way songs and Pinponpan Taisou to be Kusumi solo songs, since she tends to feature so heavily on them. Normally I would feel silly saying that she “roxxors my soxxors”, but she does. Stop all the Koha-hating. It just makes you all seem like old fuddy-duddys.
Best Photobook – Happy Girl (Risa Niigaki)
Let me put it to you this way, Happy Girl and Maple (Eri Kamei) were the two photobooks whose scans wanted to make me start collecting photobooks, and although it was a surprise Christmas gift from my brother, Happy Girl would have been the first one I would have bought myself. Risa just looks absolutely frelling gorgeous, and has the most interesting variety of outfits, but I have to say that the outfit with the old baseball cap and old blue jeans and jacket is my favorite. That’s similar to how my dad (who is a farmer) tends to dress, and whenever I look at that picture, I can smell my dad coming home late at night with the fresh scent of night air on his coat, and it is just so familiar and inviting. I’d like to imagine Risa coming home to me smelling like that and wearing that outfit. It’d be like she had become a part of my family. A picture like that is worth way more than a thousand words, and that’s why this photobook, no matter what, will always be my favorite.
Hottest Idol 0f 2008 – Ai Takahashi
If you haven’t seen Ai-chan’s Pimp Hat and face-caressing skills, go watch High-King’s Cinderella Complex PV right now. She’s sweet, but the girl knows how to make you quiver in all the right ways. The way she puts her hand to her cheek with most of her fingers curled shyly away in that PV, the way her booty goes into turbo-boost overdrive in the Resonant Blue PV, those intense eyes that just reach into yours and say, “C’mere, Sexy!”, those long, luscious legs of hers…to quote Jayne from Firefly/Serenity, I’ll be in my bunk.
Worst Soloist Single/ PV/ Group Single / Vocalist – N/A
Sorry, Pexie don’t play that. I focus on positives in my blog. The most I could give you for any of these would be “Least Best”, and since I haven’t heard everything, I might accidentally give a “Bad” Award to something I will later consider to be good, and I just ain’t gonna do that, sorry.
Least Attractive Girl of 2008 – N/A
Weren’t you listening? Pexie don’t play that. They’re all good in my eyes.
* * *
Okay, I’d actually like to add a category, if I may, and since it’s my blog, I’m gonna do it anyway.
Most Improved Girl of 2008 – Risa Niigaki
I’ve always liked Risa, but her voice never really stood out before, in my mind. All that changed at the MM All Singles concert. She has really upped her game! Listen to her belting out the lyrics in Shabondama or The Manpower, and then go listen to her (almost) solo song from Cover You, Johnny e no Dengon. She really has a lot more range than I ever previously thought. I still think she’d have problems with Koi no Hana (like she did the previous time she sang it on Hello Pro Hour), but overall, she has improved muchly over the course of this past year. At least, I like to think she has. If she was always that good, I’m ashamed of myself for not noticing it any sooner.
* * *
Well, that’s it. That’s yer lot. Take it for what it’s worth, one man’s opinion. Your mileage may vary, etc., etc.
The J-Pex: An H!P/J-Pop Music Blog 