Morning Musume - 13 Colorful Character

[Sabaku Ika]

I keep sincerely trying to be an ex-MM fan. I feel like I should be sick of them of by now.

And then they make a new album that I like. Why must they keep doing this.

[yuzuriha]

[quote name='Dessert Squid' timestamp='1347546879' post='133583']

I keep sincerely trying to be an ex-MM fan. I feel like I should be sick of them of by now.

And then they make a new album that I like. Why must they keep doing this.

[/quote]



Haha Sabaku, we should start a support group or something.

[Sabaku Ika]

I always saw this forum as a sort of support group. Not a very good one since it's the main reason I keep relapsing, but close enough.

[NekoKaiSai]

Was I the only one who heard "No way José" in Chikyuu ga Naiteiru? According to the lyrics it's actually "Moeyou ze".

[Pucchi-Mo]

One of the greatest abilities of fans (whose first language is not Japanese) is to create hilarious lyrics.



It's not entirely us, Tsunku actually does deliver them sometimes. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... umbsup.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />



I'm pleasantly surprised with this album, I was expecting it to fall apart like SEXY 8 BEAT, only without a Genki+ kickass opening (meaning it's worse) but, I'm more than ok with it.

[BonkyuAsh]

I thought sexy 8 beat was one of their best.

I want to buy this but I'm low on money, and trying to find good enough torrents to download on my phone is hard.

My only way of hearing new things now is YouTube.

[Anderei]

Everyone knows the worst album is the 6th one.

[Pucchi-Mo]

[quote name='Anderei' timestamp='1347584171' post='133666']

Everyone knows the worst album is the 6th one.

[/quote]



Totally prepared to argue this to the death... <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /ph34r.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':ph34r:' />



As far as new material, SEXY 8 BEAT had some really bad decisions.



Because Rainbow Pink was so cute, let's try something different, let's give Koharu & Sayumi a slow song. Namida ga Tomaranai Hokago, without any of the good singers to come in at the later verses and make you want to sort of listen to it. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... tongue.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />



Let's also give Yossi a sappy love song, you know, because that fits her image perfectly and this is how she should be remembered.



SEXY 8 BEAT, umm, not much of a beat, not very sexy. You have Shanimuni Paradise & Genki+ as the catchy new tracks. It starts out with Genki+, but what even comes close to it? and the ending, Be Positive.... Let's have another lame brass song to remind you that you can just go to the start of the album again. Haru Beautiful Everyday, I'm fine with it, but it would have been better as an Eri solo, people do love this one. Mirai no Taiyou? It was kind of cute, but was it at all memorable?



6th album's major offenses were Ship to the Future (how does this sound?) which will probably never be performed again and an ending that was the same song as track 4, plus Chokkan if you hated that one, but it was still significant enough to become a single later. What on S8B could do that? Only Genki+ would have a chance. Everyone has a boner for Koe, Dokusenyoku tried something new and interesting. Sukiyaki was a fun and unique track vocally and instrumentally, Lemon Iro to Milk Tea had a very catchy chorus. Haru no Kaze, the older remaining members are singing together in some weird Tanpopo mutation. (damn, if only Kago had been on this album's new songs...) and the Earth cries/Ass cries song was filler, but it at least provided humor.



Tsunku still had good ideas when he made the 6th album. 8th, was just kind of lost.

Final point, Ai no Dai 6kan had Iida, and Sexy 8 Beat had Koharu. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... hawhaw.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':hawhaw:' />

[rob]

Just got my copy today, I'm actually really impressed, if I could ever go to the tours without fear of wife retribution I'm sure this tour would be KICK ASS!



One small side note, the layout for the inlay... not much thought seems to have gone into it, just blindly put them in order



for example Masaki's photo is combined with Reina's solo song, would it be THAT big a deal to not have the girls in rank order for the inlay??

[momoirosaya]

[quote name='Anderei' timestamp='1347584171' post='133666']

Everyone knows the worst album is the 6th one.

[/quote]

Whaaaaat? The 6th album is one of the best!

[yuzuriha]

Sixth was split for me...I'm partial to 4th, personally.

[Sabaku Ika]

[quote name='yuzuriha' timestamp='1347637128' post='133754']

Sixth was split for me...I'm partial to 4th, personally.

[/quote]



4th was inarguably superior to most else. I don't remember 6th.

[kimagureprincess]

i hope i can still buy the album when i get money next month ~ i love the album. i really love reina's solo.

[Melon]

[quote name='Yennie' timestamp='1347671476' post='133839']

i really love reina's solo.

[/quote]



Ladies and gentlemen, they exist. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... omgwtf.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':omgwtf:' />

[NekoKaiSai]

^Speaking of her solo...the electronic "whoa-oh..." part reminds me of a 90s-ish song, possibly British.

[momoirosaya]

My favorite songs are Waratte YOU!, What's Up, and Lalala no Bibibi. Zero Seishun is nice too :)

[Shoujo Q]

I bought the album on iTunes. So here is my 10cent review.







1."One Two Three" - I love this song, so opening with it wasn't a problem for me. Not much I can say about this song.



2."What's Up? Ai wa Dō na no yo~" (What's Up? 愛はどうなのよ～) - I like that they keep the momentum going with another high energy song.



3."Be Alive" - Time to settle down with a slow song. This is a good song to end a concert with. So I'm glad they are using it as the ending to the MM concert. It's upbeat enough and not boring to the point where it drags. It has a Namidacchi quality to it, minus the rapping. Only gripe I have, I'm never going to get the beginning cords of Never had a Dream Come True from SClub7 out of my mind though.



4."Lalala no Bibibi" (ラララのビビビ) - Hello RoboSayu, we meet again. I wont focus on her singing and instead on the song. It's cute for a concert goes along with the theme of the first two upbeat songs. So I'm okay with it. The vocals after the instrumental break were a bit jarring. She talk sings and I'm not a big fan of that. I'm sure it's done better live. It loses the cute Sayu factor when you don't have a visual. I imagine her running around on stage with a mic in her hand and her other hand balled into a fist , doing the cute moe thing or something.



5."Dokkān Capriccio" (ドッカ～ン カプリッチオ) - Rejected W song that Tsunku found lying in a bottom of a filing cabinet? Just kidding. Another upbeat song. I'm really liking how this album is spaced out with the songs. Tsunku's little vocal breakdown, I've heard that before but I'm not sure where. The fact that they pretty much force the whole, this is a concert song on you with the little concert audience intro seemed a bit unnecessary, but it didn't bother me.



6."The Matenrō Show" (The 摩天楼ショー) - It's an okay song, not my favorite of the single songs. (If you want to even call it THAT) It's got the disco feel that Tsunku loves to break out every now and then. BREAK OUT YOUR ROLLER SKATES EVERYONE!!!! I think he was a closet Abba fan back in the day or something.



7."Zero kara Hajimaru Seishun" (ゼロから始まる青春) - This is an interesting song to be honest. I'm glad everyone got a solo line. I still can't tell Erina and Haruna apart. Even looking at the color-code. The instrumental was interesting, not sure if I liked it. So this is like, a slow song, but this is like a really slow song and I think I might fall asleep if it wasn't for the fact that I was trying to place voices and figure out who was singing where. The only thing I like about this song is it's a good way to learn singing voices.



8."Ren'ai Hunter" (恋愛ハンター) - Done with your nap? Time for some Love Hunting! Strange, hearing Risa again. Sorry Risa. I forgot you existed again. The more I hear the song, the more I like this performed live. I don't know if I would like this without Risa to be honest. Reina doesn't have any power in her voice and Riho is still in her early screaming stages. Haruka and Kanon need to step up their training because they are the only two I could see really taking on any of Risa's line with true success.



9."Chikyū ga Naiteiru" (地球が泣いている) - HELP THE DANGEROUS ASS! Actually, I really like this song and I'm not upset Reina and Riho and Sayumi seem to be the only ones singing this song. I don't hear anyone else. The appeal I find for this song seems to be in the way they are singing it, which is probably why Tsunku had them singing and no one else. Should be interesting to see performed live because I'm having a hard time picturing what everyone else would be doing besides doing the two step shuffle and pumping their fists.



10."Namida Itteki" (涙一滴) - And we've come to the first road block on this album. Not that I hate Reina, I love her. She's in my top 10. But, this song was not meant for her voice. I'm slightly offended that Tsunku gave this song to her to be honest. Out of all the toilet paper scrapped songs this man has, he went with this one. I would have given her a rock song or a rock ballad, something with lots of guitar. Something that would give people an idea of what a rock band with Reina would sound like. Give them something to look forward too man! I don't hate this song, I would however like to hear this song sung by someone with a bit more timber. It's got an old school quality to it that I like, but not for Reina.



11."Waratte! You" (笑って！ＹＯＵ) - And we're back to Discoland. I LOVE DISCOLAND! Afromickey is my favorite! Anyway, I love this song and I'm glad it showcases all of the 9/10 gen members. It seemed straight forward, 9th sing, then 10th. But the Riho interrupts in the middle of the 10th gen's part. No one in 10th could have taken that line, really? It's a small thing of no real worry. So this is the future of MM, with Sakura. It's not bad to be honest. Haruka needs to work on her control and Zukki needs to work on the power. I love the clapping parts for some reason.



12."Pyoco Pyoco Ultra[2]" (ピョコピョコ ウルトラ) - I'm happy they threw this at the end. It really would have interrupted the flow of a pretty amazing album. This song just seems like it was done ages ago and doesn't even feel like a current MM song to be honest. It's too, cutesy? I mean it's a fine song and all, and I'm not offended by it or anything.





Overall, on my album scale this ranks very high for a solid opening. Stumbled a bit near the middle and end, but overall it was a good album. It's one of my top 3 favorites right now.



This pretty much sums up my thoughts about this album.

[Madara]

I bought this album (Limited Edition with DVD) last night at Kinokuniya for $54 + tax. Along with two history books on the downfall of the Japanese empire in 1945, plus a novel by Yukio Mishima (Thirst for Love).



The album costs less on CDJapan ($45.35), but probably would have come out to the same with shipping.



Either way, it's expensive.



I'm listening to it now.

[al kusanagi]

It's 12 bucks on iTunes. Get with the times!



Actually, I got a physical copy from Amazon Japan and a copy off of iTunes just because I make it a point to get all the HP itunes stuff they put in the US store to show to them that there's an audience out there for it.



And I've listen to most of the album (haven't done much driving this week) and the only real bummer is that lame-ass Reina solo. Sersiouly, they want to give her a rock band, plus her whole yankee image, yet she gets this wannabe enka crap? It's totally a leftover Risa song I bet, since it would have suited her far better.

[Melon]

The Reina song is the song that's given to the ~best singer~ so she can prove her ~vocal prowess~ with a ~hard ballad~. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... eeping.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />



See: Every song ever given to the ~best singer~ of MM over the years. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... deways.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':sideways:' />

[Madara]

[quote name='Al Kusanagi' timestamp='1347733689' post='133937']

It's 12 bucks on iTunes. Get with the times!



Actually, I got a physical copy from Amazon Japan and a copy off of iTunes just because I make it a point to get all the HP itunes stuff they put in the US store to show to them that there's an audience out there for it.

[/quote]



Yeah, iTunes is the route I'm gonna have to go with future albums. Does it release all H!P albums or just selected ones?

[Shoujo Q]

[quote name='Madara' timestamp='1347870780' post='134072']

[quote name='Al Kusanagi' timestamp='1347733689' post='133937']

It's 12 bucks on iTunes. Get with the times!



Actually, I got a physical copy from Amazon Japan and a copy off of iTunes just because I make it a point to get all the HP itunes stuff they put in the US store to show to them that there's an audience out there for it.

[/quote]



Yeah, iTunes is the route I'm gonna have to go with future albums. Does it release all H!P albums or just selected ones?

[/quote]



iTunes USA releases all the H!P singles, including albums. The only thing they haven't released lately is Berryz cha cha single. Probably a copyright thing?



And since I'd bought the previous singles on the album, the 13th album only cost me 8 dollars. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... R#>/8o.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='8o' /> SUCH A BARGAIN!

[yuzuriha]

[quote name='Shoujo Q' timestamp='1347879440' post='134081']

[quote name='Madara' timestamp='1347870780' post='134072']

[quote name='Al Kusanagi' timestamp='1347733689' post='133937']

It's 12 bucks on iTunes. Get with the times!



Actually, I got a physical copy from Amazon Japan and a copy off of iTunes just because I make it a point to get all the HP itunes stuff they put in the US store to show to them that there's an audience out there for it.

[/quote]



Yeah, iTunes is the route I'm gonna have to go with future albums. Does it release all H!P albums or just selected ones?

[/quote]



iTunes USA releases all the H!P singles, including albums. The only thing they haven't released lately is Berryz cha cha single. Probably a copyright thing?



And since I'd bought the previous singles on the album, the 13th album only cost me 8 dollars. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... R#>/8o.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='8o' /> SUCH A BARGAIN!

[/quote]





Oh really? I was thinking about buying this album, but I'm like dude, I already have One Two Three and Renai Hunter...but it's really cheaper if you bought the singles already??

[al kusanagi]

Yeah, you just buy the songs individually if you want. They all have checkboxes next to them. Sometimes you save a buck or two buying it all together than individually, but usually it's the same amount. Occasionally (but not for HP albums) they pull a dick move and have tracks that you can only get if you download the whole album.



It makes buying singles even better, since I don't care about the instrumental tracks, so they're basically 2/3 price.

[yuzuriha]

[quote name='Al Kusanagi' timestamp='1347897638' post='134112']

Yeah, you just buy the songs individually if you want. They all have checkboxes next to them. Sometimes you save a buck or two buying it all together than individually, but usually it's the same amount. Occasionally (but not for HP albums) they pull a dick move and have tracks that you can only get if you download the whole album.



It makes buying singles even better, since I don't care about the instrumental tracks, so they're basically 2/3 price.

[/quote]



Yeah, see I figured if you unchecked the boxes it would start charging by song and make the price go up or something. Now I know what I'm getting when I get paid on Friday!

[Anderei]

Ranked 6 with 14,416 copies.

[al kusanagi]

I honestly don't know why they even bother releasing albums. People actually buy singles, but for albums you've got more people torrenting them than buying actual copies nowadays.

[cadmonkey]

I've never understood why albums sell so poorly in Japan. I'd much rather pay ~$30 for 10+ songs than ~$10 for 2 songs.

[showraniy]

[quote name='cadmonkey' timestamp='1347988017' post='134218']

I've never understood why albums sell so poorly in Japan. I'd much rather pay ~$30 for 10+ songs than ~$10 for 2 songs.

[/quote]



QFT.



I don't buy singles for this very reason. Though albums are equally ridiculous these days costing $50 and up. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... hatthe.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':whatthe:' /> Torrenting for life.

[jochin]

Today was the first time in in years that I bothered to put a MM album on my ipod. Love love love Be Alive, What's Up and the single songs. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... #>/wub.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':wub:' /> Also warming up to Sayumi's solo.