Falling Out of Love

This was the Morning Musume I fell in love with.  

It was late 2008, December I believe.  Momusu had just released Pepper Keibu and previews for Naichau Kamo were out.  These nine ladies had completely enamored me and I was in love.  I remember I thought I was so lucky that I had found them.  They were my nine Jpop princesses, just as Girls' Generation were my nine Kpop princesses.  

Girls' Generation are still my girl group love of Kpop.  Morning Musume....not so much anymore.  

This is Morning Musume now.  They still look fierce...they're still a group.  They're still here. 

So why don't I care?

I honestly thought I would be a Morning Musume fan for life.  It's been about five years since I first became a fan...but something was lost over that five years.  

I hear fans who were fans during the "Golden Age" complain about how the Platinum Era was boring and how they missed the old days.  I can finally understand how they feel, but the Platinum Era was my Golden Age, and this "Colorful Era" is what is frustrating me.  

I still like the music, Tsunku is still doing a good job.  Their choreography is still good...but after watching countless videos and reading over their blog posts, I finally found it. 

The heart is completely gone.

Let me explain.  Whenever I watched the Platinum Era Musumes, I always was so amazed by how much heart they put into their performances.  They were a unit, an ensemble, and they were all giving the same energy and it's like they were healing me.  I was filled with so much passion I felt like something great was bubbling up inside of me.  Now, whenever I watch a performance, they're still a great ensemble, but I feel as though they aren't connected in their spirits.  They're like machines.  They're in synch and they dance really well, but that's all they can do.  

If I want machine precision performance, that's when I go over to Kpop.  Jpop idols for me are all about the girls, all about the heart and the energy they give back to their audience, and I feel that Morning Musume doesn't give me that energy anymore.  

People may argue with me that they're more commercially successful now than in the Platinum Era, and yes, they are selling more.  But so are the majority of idols in the market right now.  It's an idol boom in the music industry in Japan, and they're riding the wave.  Japan wants idols, and they're one of the groups to cater to the market.  

Honestly I feel like the only reason I'm still paying attention to them anymore is because Sayumi is still there.  When she leaves...will I stay with the group?  I honestly don't know.  

I've been feeling this way about Hello!Project in general recently, and it's scaring me.  H!P used to be my ultimate number one.  Now I feel like the only group that's really getting it is C-ute.  They're the ones who give me the energy and the passion that I'm looking for.  The Berryz girls are going in different directions, S/mileage is cute, but I still feel a split between Dawa and Kanon and the rest of the girls, and while Juice=Juice is good, I still get the machine vibe from them.  

Aside from C-ute, I don't think I like this direction that H!P is going in.  Like I said, I still like the music.  Tsunku is a good musician and I will listen to his work.  But now I can get that with Backstage and Afilia Saga.

There are more and more idols (and artists in general) that are catching my attention better than the H!P sphere right now, and I'm giving them my love and support.  

I feel like I'm mourning over a dead person right now.  I've been listening to all of the H!P music from 2007-2010 and staying in nostalgia mode.  

I seriously listened to all of the Mano Erina singles and felt like I was gonna cry.

I may sound like a butthurt fan right now, but I really do miss that time in H!P.  

We'll see how the future in H!P unfolds, and I'll keep tabs on it, but it's clear to me that they won't be my main focus anymore...

Does anyone else feel this way?  What do you think of the state of H!P right now?  Let me know! 

Who Called It?

Kaya diiiiid!

*Ahem*

All Cheekiness aside, anyone remember that post I made about BTS?

If you haven't read it yet, click here!

Now before I continue, I must warn you:  my opinions about the boys have changed since I wrote that post 5 or so months ago.

Anyway, in that post, I made a prediction that the interesting combination of young schoolboys and tough rappers would make the bank (no matter how silly I thought it was personally).

And BOY have they!  These guys have EXPLODED into the Kpop scene, and shortly after releasing their first mini album, they came back with a full album, O!RUL8,2?, in mere months (well, some say it's a mini album, but it's 10 tracks, and that's a full album dammit)!  I honestly don't remember the last time a rookie group came out with their first full album so fast after their debut.

I see you Big Hit, I see you.

The title track off of O!RUL8,2?, "N.O", portrays the same tough image that "No More Dream" had, but much more successfully in my opinion.  "No More Dream" tried a bit too hard, and I think that the guys are more relaxed and confident after a successful debut, so that may have been a contributing factor to their improvement.

I won't explain the entire plot of the video to you, but there is a strong theme of rebellion against conformity and the mundane, and standing up for oneself.  These themes fit with both sides of their image:  young people have tendencies to question everything and rebel when they think it's right.  Rappers have also been known to call out injustices through their lyrics, and use their power as artists to convey their opinions about it to the masses.

One thing that usually bothers me about Kpop rappers is the fact that THEY DON'T WRITE THEIR OWN RAPS.  The core of rap is in the MESSAGE it presents, and if you didn't write the message...why are you the one rapping?  But that's another post entirely.

The good thing about these guys is that members Rap Monster, Suga, and J-Hope write the lyrics for all of their songs, and lend a hand in the composition as well.  Nicely done boys.

BTS is definitely a group to watch, as they write about things that they can relate to.  Instead of all of this lovey dovey crap that most Kpop artists sing about (with no prior experience), these guys take what they know and share their experiences with their audience.  With their main audience being young people, I think it's a message that their audience can relate to as well.  It'll definitely be interesting to see how they grow as songwriters as they go through different chapters of their lives, and we'll see if their fans grow with them.

As for the significance and controversy of the message of this song, I think PAT over at Seoulbeats does a better job of explaining it than I would.  Click here to give it a read!

Overall I'm happy that these guys have improved so much, and that I can actually see what the Kpop industry is luring me in with instead blindly enjoying what is put in front of me.

Did you like BTS when they first debuted?  If not, what do you think of N.O?  Are you impressed by their songwriting abilities?

Let me know what you think!