Souki and I Discuss Ray's Latest Berikyuu Post

It's been a while since I've had a good long talk with Souki about H!P stuff, so this was a nice surprise. Anyway, like the title says, this is Souki and I talking about Ray's latest Berikyuu snark (or, in this case, anti-snark) blog.

May 19th, 2008
CatchFiveBats: http://www.americanwota.com/2008/05/berikyuu-episode-17-the-high-stakes-of-being-c-ute/
CatchFiveBats: Excellent essay on the appeal of idol groups.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: Ehhhhh.....I can't defend idol music at all, it's 100% pandering XD
CatchFiveBats: READ
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: I know, I'm a third of the way!
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: It's a good essay, for sure.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: I think...well, not think, KNOW...that I'm not the right person to read this
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: because I'm not like "THATS SO DUMB"
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: I'm just like "T___T all this for cute girls."
CatchFiveBats: XDDD
CatchFiveBats: He makes a good argument though.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: Oh for sure.
CatchFiveBats: About how it's not all about the looks or whatever.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: He's absolutely right.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: It's not all about any one given aspect.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: If the looks are too emphasized, the idols feel shallow
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: if the music is too emphasized, and the visuals aren't, then they look bland and boring.
CatchFiveBats: There's a very deep, committed aspect of being a wota that most people would never understand.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: Essentially, it's a huge fucking obsession, what the hardcore wota have. There's no need to color it.
CatchFiveBats: The part where he talks about casual fans vs true-wota fans...whether to stick with a group or not...
CatchFiveBats: That's not even a consideration for me.
CatchFiveBats: I like Berryz, I like every song they've released, if they release a new song and I don't like it, I learn to like it because they're singing it.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: Basically, again, complete and utter name loyalty.
CatchFiveBats: It's really broadened my horizons as to what I do and don't like musically.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: Oh, I bet it has, for sure.
CatchFiveBats: Maybe for better, maybe for worse.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: It's never for worse
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: if you like more, that's always good.
CatchFiveBats: But it's exciting for me.
CatchFiveBats: Wotadom is an unbelievably exciting hobby, especially with H!P, because it's always moving.
CatchFiveBats: I'm never thinking "Man, what's going on with [insert H!P group here]?"
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: Yeah, you're always on top of it
CatchFiveBats: I can't help but be.
CatchFiveBats: There's always so much going on.
CatchFiveBats: Once you start to like more than one or two H!P groups, you've got something you can dedicate pretty much all your time to.
CatchFiveBats: Keeping up with TV appearances, new singles, photobooks, concerts, DVDs, etc.
CatchFiveBats: It's a never-ending cycle.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: and it only gets bigger.
CatchFiveBats: mhmm
CatchFiveBats: I'm trying not to expand myself too much into other H!P groups right now.
CatchFiveBats: I've got too much to listen to as it is.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: yeah, totally
CatchFiveBats: Too much to keep track of.
CatchFiveBats: I would love to buy some Nakazawa Yuuko stuff, or try out a Goto Maki album, or whatever.
CatchFiveBats: But right now I've got Ayaya and Momusu that I haven't even begun to touch on their full library of releases.
CatchFiveBats: Berryz, C-ute, Mikitty, and GAM are the only H!P groups I have complete discographies of.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: Aaaaah
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: Man, maybe it's just how I'm reading it, but it just feels so weird from the outside looking in.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: Like, because I know you, I see past your blog
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: but when I read say, that article
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: I just feel like...jeez, most wotas color their hobby with huge, ambitious words like "majestic" and, as you stated earlier, a "deep, committed aspect"
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: and in my mind, that translates to "fucking obsessed."
CatchFiveBats: It's an obsession.
CatchFiveBats: Undoubtedly.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: no one wants to call it that, it seems XD
CatchFiveBats: But behind every wota there's a normal person who has a job and friends and a family, and they live their life just fine (at least among English-speaking wotas).
CatchFiveBats: I mean, I tend to be anti-social.
CatchFiveBats: But I hang out with my friends on the weekend, I have a job, I go to school.
CatchFiveBats: I live a normal life.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: I just thought it was interesting, that it seems that no one that you've shown me has ever said it's an obsession. They use a lot of huge words, but never obsession.
CatchFiveBats: mmm
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: like, obsession has a bad connotation to it or something.
CatchFiveBats: Because it does?
CatchFiveBats: XD
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: No, it's honest.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: I'm obsessed with games.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: I'm not unhealthy, but I'm happily obsessed.
CatchFiveBats: Yeah.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: It seems so fake
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: all those huge words
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: is what I'm getting at
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: Call them "fucking cute," like that guy did once. Or call yourself a big obsessed pedo from time to time.
CatchFiveBats: Have you seen some of his other articles?
CatchFiveBats: They're nothing like this one.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: No, who is this guy?
CatchFiveBats: He's the huge pedo.
CatchFiveBats: He writes the articles about Berikyuu where he talks about makeout parties and such.
CatchFiveBats: And Kanna is a dominatrix.
CatchFiveBats: And etc etc.
CatchFiveBats: Lots of awful, blatant sex jokes.
CatchFiveBats: He also runs International Wota.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: XDD aka, he's awesome.
CatchFiveBats: Yes, he is.
CatchFiveBats: But he's also a really serious, dedicated wota.
CatchFiveBats: He's proof that you can be a huge wota and still function normally.
CatchFiveBats: And have a good sense of humor about your idols.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: Mmmmm
CatchFiveBats: He's married and has a daughter and everything.
CatchFiveBats: He talks about his daughter as much as he talks about idols.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: Aaaaah
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: That's cool, I like that
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: Like, I didn't wanna have the impression that these blogs meant that idols = serious fucking ass business
CatchFiveBats: It goes to show that you can't judge a wota by their blog.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: XD
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: There's a saying about books and covers in there.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: somewhere.
CatchFiveBats: XD
CatchFiveBats: Everyone I've talked to in wotachat is a perfectly normal person.
CatchFiveBats: They're not these crazy, obsessed uber-serious wota stalkers like most people would probably view them if they saw the PVs and photobooks and CDs and Single Vs and etc etc...
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: XD
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: I'd be sick of my hobby if all I talked to were crazed fanboys.
CatchFiveBats: Yeah.
CatchFiveBats: That's why I didn't join a forum.
CatchFiveBats: I've never looked into a wota forum, but I'm sure it's no different from any other.
CatchFiveBats: With the same kind of heated arguments as any other forum.
CatchFiveBats: And I'm sure I'd be sick of H!P in no time if I joined one.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: yeah. Blogs, since they depend on readership, mean that you probably get people who are mostly civilized.
CatchFiveBats: mhmm
CatchFiveBats: But we've talked about that already.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: yeah
CatchFiveBats: Anyway, there's more to wotadom than you would think.
CatchFiveBats: DICK.
CatchFiveBats: XD
CatchFiveBats: YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: XDD
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: I'm a lot more accepting of it
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: But I still shot your Berryz calendar with a nerf gun
CatchFiveBats: nuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: XD

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