Thursday, May 29, 2008

The Savior of H!P

#46
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She must get in.

MUST.

That is all.
- cfb

EDIT:
Souki likes her too!

May 29th, 2008
CatchFiveBats: I made a new blog.
CatchFiveBats: I don't know if you saw.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: No, I haven't
CatchFiveBats: It's IMPORTANT
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: alright
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: one sec
CatchFiveBats: k
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: I concur.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: She MUST get in.
CatchFiveBats: YESSSS
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: I thoroughly concur.
CatchFiveBats: You and like every wotachatter.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: She's really really really cute.
CatchFiveBats: Yeahhhhhh
CatchFiveBats: She's adorable.
CatchFiveBats: Want to see her dance?
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: Sure XD
CatchFiveBats: http://www.wretch.cc/album/show.php?i=nora1977ku&b=17&f=1509797156&p=36
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: She dances REALLY good. How old is she?
CatchFiveBats: No idea.
CatchFiveBats: All we know is her number.
CatchFiveBats: And that she's Taiwanese.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: I think that's why I find her extremely cute.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: There was something to her face that wasn't quite Japanese.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: not that Japanese women aren't cute
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: but her face had something that was different.
CatchFiveBats: Yeah.

Another strong for #46...

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Souki Likes Johnny's?

A little backstory:
The first dorama I ever watched (aside from PGSM) was Kurosagi. Shortly after watching it, I gave a copy to Souki and he loved it as well. Ever since then, he's thought that Yamashita Tomohisa was pretty cool, even with the bishie-ness. I've also recently started getting into TOKIO, and Souki has liked what he's heard of them.

On a less-related note, I'm a huge Erika Toda wota at the moment, so this dorama excites the hell out of me. Anyway, on to the conversation.

May 25th, 2008
CatchFiveBats: Dude.
CatchFiveBats: New dorama starring Yamashita Tomohisa, Aragaki Yui and Toda Erika announced.
CatchFiveBats: So win.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: WHAT WHAT WHATTTT
CatchFiveBats: http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-3249
CatchFiveBats: *drooooool*
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: Dude, this is so fucking cool.
CatchFiveBats: Yeah.
CatchFiveBats: Totally.
CatchFiveBats: Dorama ftw.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: Yamapi ftw!
CatchFiveBats: Do you need me to download some NEWS for you?
CatchFiveBats: XD
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: Dude, why not!
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: I fucking love Yamapi!
CatchFiveBats: Hahahahaha....
CatchFiveBats: Awesome.
CatchFiveBats: You will be my hero if you become a Johnny's fan.
CantSpellShotaWithoutHOT: I wouldn't mind hearing more!
CatchFiveBats: XD

Not the world's most prolific exchange, but this surprised me enough that I felt the need to post it here. If the response is favorable, I may keep an updated log of how Souki's JE fandom pans out (if it does at all...).
- cfb

Monday, May 19, 2008

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

- cfb

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Broomhead's Survey

As the title states, this is Broomhead's blogging survey.

Goals:

  • Why do you blog?
    • I get a great deal of enjoyment from seeing others' opinions of my writing, and blogging allows that to easily happen (especially with Intl Wota's help). I also have no 'real-world' friends that are into H!P, and creating this blog was a good way to get involved in a community of similar-minded folks without having to get mixed up in the mess that is forums (more on that here).
  • What long-term goals do you hope to accomplish, if any at all?
    • For the moment, I don't have any. I tend to play it by ear.
  • Where does your blog fail to meet your goals?
    • One of the original goals of this blog was to post conversations about H!P between myself and my non-wota friends, and that's not happening nearly as much as I'd like. I also feel as though I don't update enough.
  • If you do have goals, what will accomplishing them do for yourself?
    • I suppose you could say that one of my immediate goals is to use this as an outlet to improve myself as a writer. The benefits of that should be obvious.
  • What do you want to gain out of blogging? A creative outlet? Praise from others? Personal satisfaction? Money?
    • This blog provides an outlet for my fanboy babblings (and some semi-analytical writing, since I really enjoy that kind of thing), and - as stated in my answer to the first question - it gives me a bit of an ego boost, to be blunt. I get an immense amount of satisfaction from having my blog linked to on International Wota.
  • Do you feel that your blog should meet a requirement for amount of entries? Do you feel any particular entry should be a certain length?
    • I think that, for the amount of entries, it relates to time. I start to feel a little guilty when I haven't posted anything for a week or two. As for post length, it depends on the subject matter.
  • For any particular entry, what motivates you to start and finish blog posts?
    • There are days when I decide, "I'm going to write a blog today", and I'll set aside a couple hours and do just that. Other days, an idea will pop into my head and I'll feel compelled to write about it. I rarely start a blog post without the intent to finish it in one sitting. My writing style tends to vary from day to day, and posts written in bits and pieces, over different days, end up feeling disjointed to me.
  • Do you actively consider long term goals for each individual post?
    • Can't say I do. I'm not goal-oriented in the least. XD

Subject Material:

  • What do you blog about?
    • Well, considering this a Hello!Project blog, it should be obvious what I blog about. Getting specific, the posts I enjoy most (and therefore put the most effort into) are those where I discuss things like the relationship between wota and idol or the group dynamics of H!P.
  • Would you be keep a blog even if it wasn’t about the subjects you tend to cover?
    • I don't think I would have made a blog at all if I hadn't found International Wota...so no, it's extremely doubtful that I would be keeping this if I lost interest in H!P.
  • Do you write about the material to promote it to others?
    • I don't personally think so. I guess you could say I'm promoting my ideas, but that's not how I approach it when I put together a post.

Readership:

  • How much do you care about readership?
    • I think that, without readership, there is no reason to blog. There's no way I would have ever started this blog if I wasn't sure there would be people reading it.
  • Does it satisfy you to know people are reading, even if they don’t comment?
    • I think so, yes. It doesn't satisfy me nearly as much as when they actually do comment, but knowing that I have a readership is what keeps me going.
  • What effect does receiving a comment have on you?
    • Aside from being linked to on Intl Wota, comments are the thing I look forward to most in blogging.
  • Do you write with a particular audience in mind or an unspecified general audience? Why?
    • I tend to have tunnel-vision in life, so it would make sense that whatever I choose to write about on my blog be intended for a specific audience.
  • If you write for a particular audience, is it International Wota? If yes, why?
    • Yes, I write with the intent to have my material read by visitors of International Wota. As for why...the things I write about here are intended for an audience of H!P fans, and Intl Wota is the best blogging community I know of that focuses on that. Plain and simple.

Community: (The International Wota section)

  • If International Wota didn’t exist, would you blog?
    • Definitely not. I had never considered making a blog until I found Intl Wota.
  • When IW covers an entry of yours, are you encouraged to blog more or less?
    • More. As I've said, being linked to on Intl Wota is the thing I look forward to most in blogging.
  • When IW does not cover an entry, are you encouraged to blog more or less?
    • I wouldn't say it makes me want to blog less...but if I write an entry thinking "I want this to be covered on IW", and it doesn't get covered, it makes me consider why that may have happened and what I should change in my approach to writing to better ensure that the entries I want covered, get covered.
  • How often do you read other blogs?
    • Every day. I have a Google Reader account with about 50 H!P blogs that I keep track of. I originally did this because Intl Wota was blocked on my school's internet connection and I wanted a way to read blogs at school, and now I pretty much use it exclusively.
  • How often do you comment on other blogs?
    • Probably only once a week or so.
  • If another blog covers a topic that you wanted or wished to cover, do you still blog about that specific topic? Why or why not?
    • Honestly, this doesn't happen to me all that often. If it does, it depends on how their entry differs from what I intended my entry to be. If they have a different viewpoint from my own, I'll write the entry as I originally intended and that's that. If they have the same opinion as me (and especially if they cover that topic in a more concise or eloquent way than I would have), I may not write the post at all. It just depends on how I feel.

Commitment:

  • How serious is your attitude towards blogging? Do you consider it just as something to do for fun?
    • I take the relationship between my blog and my standing in the community very seriously. As for blogging in its own right, I do it because I enjoy it. My world wouldn't end if I were suddenly unable to blog.
  • How often do you blog? How often would you like to blog?
    • I already said this, but I feel like I don't update this blog nearly enough. Part of it is because I'm lazy, and another part is because I'm really busy right now. If I had my way, I would probably be writing one entry a week or so.
  • What priorities do you or have you put aside in order to blog? Why?
    • The biggest sacrifice I've made in order to write an entry was probably giving up my dinner between classes at school, and that was because I really got on a roll with a particular post. It's not that blogging isn't a high priority for me...I'm just the kind of person to make things up as I go, and if I don't specifically set time aside to do something, it probably won't happen. In all honesty, I'm a very irresponsible blogger.
  • Do you see yourself blogging in 6 months? Why or why not?
    • As I said in the last question, I tend to make things up as I go. I have no idea what's going to happen in the next 6 months, so maybe I'll still have this and maybe I won't. I would hope I'm still blogging, or at least still involved in the Intl Wota community, even if it's just through wotachat or comments or whatever.

Personal:

  • Would you say you blog for yourself?
    • My reasons for blogging are definitely self-centric, but I wouldn't be able to do it without the prospect of feedback from my readers and/or other bloggers.
  • What is your feeling after posting an entry? Is it relative to the time and effort you put in an entry?
    • If it's a longer entry, I'm usually just about shot from writing and editing the entry when I'm done, although I definitely feel relieved that I've finished. I don't feel quite as good about shorter entries, mainly because I know they're likely to not be on Intl Wota.
  • What needs does blogging fulfill?
    • I can't think of anything specific. As I've said in previous questions, I could live without my blog...but it's a nice outlet for my fanboy ramblings.
  • Do you consider yourself a writer?
    • Not really. I don't take my writing seriously enough for that.
  • Do you consider yourself good at writing? Good at blogging?
    • I think I'm capable of writing well if the material and mood are right. I'm definitely more fit for blogging than journalism or writing novels or any of the 'normal' styles of writing most people think of.
  • How much of your personal life do you share on your blog? If none, why do you leave this out?
    • The setup of my blog (conversations and such) generally ends up revealing more about my life than I would reveal if I were writing each entry directly.
- cfb

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

April Purchases

From this point on, I'll be doing my merch posts in monthly installments.

Anyway, April purchases:
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Singles/Albums:
  • Momusu - Morning Musume no Hyokkori Hyoutanjima
  • Momusu - Roman ~My Dear Boy~
  • Momusu - Resonant Blue
  • Momusu Sakura Gumi - Hare Ame Nochi Suki
  • Momusu Tanjou 10nen Kinentai - Bokura ga Ikiru MY ASIA
  • Fujimoto Miki - Aenai Nagai Nichiyoubi
  • Fujimoto Miki - Sotto Kuchidzukete Gyutto Dakishimete
  • Fujimoto Miki - Romantic Ukare Mode
  • Fujimoto Miki - Boyfriend
  • Fujimoto Miki - Boogie Train '03
  • Fujimoto Miki - Okitegami
  • C-ute - Namida no Iro
  • Folk Songs 3

Single Vs:
  • Matsuura Aya - Kiseki no Kaori Dance
  • GAM - Melodies
  • GAM - LU LU LU
  • Fujimoto Miki - Single M Clips
  • Fujimoto Miki - Boyfriend
  • Fujimoto Miki - Boogie Train '03
April was a crazy month for me. Out of all the stuff here, my favorites are definitely Folk Songs 3 and Okitegami. I've already written about Okitegami, but as for Folks Songs 3...this album has shown me that I'm capable of liking Maki Goto (she never really impressed me in Morning Musume, and all I've heard of her solo work is the slutty R&B stuff near the end >.<) and that Nakazawa Yuuko has a very unique and beautiful voice. Maybe next month I'll grab some of their solo releases. And, of course, I loved Mikitty's performances as well.

Also, it turns out I've passed the 50-CD mark! Including the ones posted here, I now have 59 H!P releases on my CD shelf (I thought it was 65...but I just re-counted, and I somehow ended up adding an extra 6 to my numbers when I counted a few days ago O.o).

Here's to another 50!
- cfb