The J-Music Lovers' International Assembly

[Mandilinn]

OMG STOP

 

NOOOOOOOOOO

 

 

And then she'll release a self-cover album of all her best material.

 

[Mandilinn]

Woah at Contrail, go Namie

And it's only been out digitally on one chart for a few months, and only one month on others. I'm happy for her \o/

 

FEEL should leak any day now. There's so many amazing producers working on it (the song credits leaked). My expectations are very high.

 

 

You're all against me :(

 

I want JUJU to do more R&B...

 

I agree. She has a voice suited for it and some of my favorite songs of hers are her R&B ones. Too bad no one in Japan seems to want R&B right now T_T

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWvGOQXxAqA

 

Dang did not expect them to actually flow together perfectly.

Now this song will be stuck in my head for the rest of the day

[Mandilinn]

ASJGEJKDLADG

 

http://onehallyu.com/index.php?/topic/11002-namie-amuro-11th-studio-album-feel-full-hq-audio-for-all-songs/

 

FEEL >>>>>>>>>>> PLAY

 

(Didn't think any other Namie album would ever make me say that)

[Mandilinn]

Ryo Fukawa puts Namie Amuro on blast.

http://majide2ch.blogspot.com/2013/07/ryo-fukawa-criticizes-namie-amuros.html

*points and hisses at Namie*

 

Ryo Fukawa is an idiot who Namie shouldn't give one second of her attention to. And also, this news is old. -_-

 

 

I wish there are more historical j-dramas... Though i guess i cant complain since i have yet to finish Atsu Hime lol

 

In regards to namie, i think its more of the fact that she isnt actually skilled to play the song that she accompanied in (or did she have a hand in composing?). I think people are more miffed at the fact that she/ Avex lied about her piano playing skills (apparently her fingers are placed in an amateurish manner). I dont care tho. I am shockaed that she knows the piano tho :/ why show it now? Unless she recently started learning

 

Yeah, she's a beginner at piano. The song is actually not a hard piece to play, but she's said she will be playing it live on tour, so we'll see how this goes.

 

She actually already knew how to play another instrument long before this -- the drums (I'm not kidding. There's video of it.) 

[Mandilinn]

Ah i had a feeling since i remember reading somewhere that she's a beginner. Well, it doesnt matter if her hands are placed awkwardly. Girl may had some help but if shes gonna playduring the concert, more power to her. And i would love to see her play the drums! How kawaii~

 

Her playing them on a variety show with the other members of the Super Monkeys:

 

[Mandilinn]

I think I went overboard with my comments on E-girls' Body Feels EXIT performance. ;;;

 

 

Side eyeing you until I finish listening to this album, I fucking loved PLAY

 

and about the Namie playing piano thing, I'm not surprised she's not that good, I used to play the piano (lol Asian stereotype here) and honestly it takes a lot of practice, I never had great hand posture, my piano teacher's rule for hand posture was that your hands should be perfectly arched that you can hold an egg in your hand without dropping it (obviously not all the time since you have to reach for notes that are far apart but resting position) so my mom made my sister who was serious about playing piano practice with a raw egg in her hand and she never dropped it once. After that every examination or performance or contest she entered, all of the judges who were real pros would always praise her for her hand posture, even people who won these contests didn't always have perfect hand posture and a lot were criticized and these were people who have played for years, you can say some people have amateurish looking hands but with a career like Namie's did you actually ever fucking expect her to sit down and seriously learn how to play properly?

 

Her hand posture granted, is pretty dismal, but from what I'm seeing she probably found a way that was comfortable for herself to play rather than to learn properly. It's like how a lot of singers have technical issues but it's a habit they've developed (eg nasality). It's not a good thing but the piano part was so freaking simple, I'm positive that she can play it because it was actually really easy, I don't see how she didn't play it. She's not selling herself as a pro, and studio versions are edited, him being in the music industry should know that better than anyone

 

what a dumb snob

Yeah, that about sums him up. -_- I was angry about it for 5 seconds and then realized it wasn't worth it and ignored it for the rest of the week. Anyway, looking forward to seeing her attempt this live. Like you said, it isn't a hard piece, but she really hasn't done this before so I'm interested.

[Mandilinn]

Alive is so hot. Girl shuld do a trance remix album

I'd rather she not go down that road. A few remixes once and a while just for fun like she did with Uncontrolled would be fine, but I don't think something like that fits her style.

[Mandilinn]

What is this?

[Mandilinn]

Add Gille to the list of people doing cover albums this year. -_- This trend needs to die already.
 

i don't think Namie's voice fits trance music, or at least not the type of vocal trance i like. 
 
and omg thank you for this break from the california heatwave we've been having. A week straight of 100+ degree weather is no fun. Peaked at 110 i think 
It's actually been nice today.

 
Haha, it was like that here for a while. After several days of 100+, 80 or even 90 degree weather doesn't seem so bad. Thankfully it's gotten down even lower to the mid 70s/low 80s. I haven't had to have the fans on full blast.
 

Hello~
I'm back from vacation haha
 
 
Shingeki no Kyojin/ Attack on Titan
 
Probably the best anime this season/in a long time
Some Titans are kind of silly when they are running around but i guess this is better then the overly scary titans they have in the manga version.
they make great running gags
 
I recommend it personally lol

 
Welcome back \o/
 
I've been hearing a lot of people talk about this anime, but still wasn't sure if I should watch it or not. I've watched a few other shows this year and nothing has topped Sword Art Online yet. But I guess I can try this one xD

[Mandilinn]

Done with that new artist post. She's like the cooler and more adult version of Kyary (she's from the same company, too).

 

the most popular anime in japan since madoka

 

Oh, I see D: As long as it's not a magical girl anime, I'll try it.

 

there's been a lot of threads with the word "kawaii" in the title lately and all of them have been for korean stuff. Kpop fans use that word much more than jpop fans on here. 

 

That's the new thing, I guess. I see less Korean words now and more Japanese ones used for everything around here.

[Mandilinn]

the story actually reminds me of Steins;Gate also but i don't remember what the story is around ep 8 so i won't say anything.

 

I can see the Eva of mahou shoujo thing.

 

i still see some people using "jap" also even after a thread was made specifically to inform people about it.

 

edit:

 

just saw this that the cofounder of Giantbomb died: http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/07/08/fare-thee-well-giant-bombs-ryan-davis

a week after he got married too, smh.

 

I....can't even begin to explain how devastated I am. I was with them before Giant Bomb was still in the planning stages and I've been with them up until now. I didn't even know him personally and I feel like I've lost a friend. It may seem weird to say that, but that's how genuine and honest and straightforward these guys were/are. Can't even imagine what the site will be like without him. I'm in complete shock right now.

 

Went on a madoka binge cause I haven't seen it yet. Episode 8 and im kind of in Tears already. It's so evil. Critics in Japan call it the evangelion for mahou shoujo and I can understand why. It's amazing

 

 

You haven't watched madoka? You are truly missing out. I never wanted to see the normal magical girl after anime expo today. Needless to say, this show smashed all my expectations into the ground. The artstyle is also amazing right after episode 3.

 

I'll give a few episodes a try, if it doesn't catch my interest after that I probably won't continue it. Don't have a lot of time to watch things these days, so I have to pick and choose.

 

 

  

Watch eeeeet I havent been this excited about a show for a long time

 

Okay, okay xD Guess I'm going to try it.

[Mandilinn]

Why is it that we suck at dealing with rainy days omg.

 

Stuck downtown T-T

 

I don't understand why this happens in a lot of places o.o It's not like snow where it could actually block roads. It's just a little rain.

[Mandilinn]

rain was so bad that my power was knocked out, and my basement floor is soaked

 

Oh o.o Well that's bad. Glad you're okay. T^T Flooded basements are a nightmare to clean up, so I hope it isn't too much water down there.

 

^WIZ I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE OKAY

WHERE ARE YOU CHUN, ARE YOU OKAY

 

I WAS WITHOUT POWER FOR 7 HOURS OMG

my basement only flooded a little and I'm so happy

 

I nearly cried when the power went out because my sister was coming home from downtown by the subway and if the power was out she might have been stuck underground where it was flooding, I was so scared until she finally replied to my text and told me her subway stopped inside a station at a major mall and me and my dad picked her up even though the traffic lights didn't work, it rained so hard and it was crazy, nearly felt like this was an apocalypse, some people actually did get stuck underground and people had to be rescued from a Go Train because of the flooding and I'm so freaking thankful my sister was lucky and her subway stopped above ground

 

it's been a long day T^T

I'm going to eat some hot food now

 

Yikes. That sounds like us back in May. It was raining and pouring down hail harder than I'd ever seen it before and it didn't let up. It just got worse and worse and the skies were really dark and scary looking. There was even a tornado or two in other places really close by.

 

Glad you and your family are okay. Weather like that is not fun to deal with.

[Mandilinn]

Daichi is going to hold a live release event for "GO FOR IT" on Youtube tomorrow at 4:00PM Japan time, but it currently is Japan-only. Not sure if that will change or what, but here's the link just in case.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvCKHSWSEIk

[Mandilinn]

Listening to 3JSB's and GENE's new single right now. Burning Up and Waking Me Up both sound way better with HQ audio. I didn't like Waking Me Up initially, but hearing it in a higher quality has changed my mind. Good song from them. GENE's however....don't know what to make of it. Going to listen to Daichi's single after this.

 

 

 

 

hehe i just started playing \O/

 

I keep getting interrupted, so I haven't finished the first case yet. But I like it so far \o/ First impressions of the characters: Alfendi seems to be really smart like his dad, but slightly more sarcastic and kind of intimidating at times. Professor Layton just seems so much more friendly in comparison. And Lucy....she's maybe a little too enthusiastic. I'm sure she'll get better, but at the moment she jumps to conclusions too quickly.

 

Maybe I should make a Layton thread~ (Unless there already is one.)

 

 

What made things worse yesterday is that our car stopped working it stalled on my dad 3 times whenhe went to get my aunt and mother from work in the end my uncle had to drive us home. Its like people dont know how to drive durung a power outage. We got home at 10pm. My sister had to walk home from work since the buses couldnt get through due to flooding. A lady on the way left her car and asked if she could walk with my sister since she was so scared. The basement didnt flood too badly but the carpet wasa pain to carry up since it was soaked.

That's awful. I suppose every place has something they're unprepared for, but that sounds like it was a nightmare. At least your carpet wasn't one that covered the entire floor that you'd have to bring in special equipment to dry. Hopefully you won't have any more days like that.

[Mandilinn]

Generations' song song was blah. But then again I'm not really a fan.

Their songs are hit or miss for me. Their debut single's b-sides were great, Animal was good, and the B-side to their last single was good. This new one sounds too young for me, though. It's kind of like the upbeat continuation of Love You More, which I didn't like all that much.

[Mandilinn]

I think imma enjoy Happiness's single more but in still rooting for my girls, FLOWER~

I think you might change your mind after seeing Flower's PV....it's amazing

[Mandilinn]

I love Flower's PV, but I love Happiness's song OTL

 

I like both, but I like Happiness' version of "Boyfriend" better.

 

I'm kind of liking happiness' version more.

 

And I'm currently doing what I never thought I'd do: scouring the web for dating sim and otome games to play.

 

What made you want to do that?

[Mandilinn]

Daichi's YouTube event is Japan only.

 

There's Ustream and Nico Nico now, too.

 

Ustream: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/DAICHIMIURA

Nico Nico: http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv142716061

 

 

Being bored and lonely. 

 

Playing Cafe Rogue right now. Not too bad, art style and music are nice. Not really a romance one, more mystery and suspense. 

 

:(

 

That's the only way I'd be able to tolerate one of those games. If it were mystery or suspense or something. They're too samey otherwise. There are some on the Japanese PSN store that kinda looked okay. I think they were more fantasy, though.

[Mandilinn]

Thanks. Are you watching it? What's happened so far?

 

No. Just saw it pop up on my Twitter feed. Was about to post it actually when you said something. I'll probably watch it later on Nico or Ustream if they archive it. Working on translating something and I can't multitask when I'm doing that.

[Mandilinn]

Ok, he's on now. Looks like some kind of mall event. He's doing Twinkle Shiny Star.

 

EDIT: He did a few more songs including Go Fotr It. A pretty good show overall.

 

I'll watch the archive of the show, then :D He got #5 on the Oricon for first day, so good for him! And I think you're right. We need that album soon. If he does another single after this, there will be no room for new tracks..

 

 

There's no end to the cover madness.

 

At least she's covering another Hikki song instead of the usual "First Love"

[Mandilinn]

after listening to both groups' songs, i think FLOWER has the better A-Side, while Happiness has the better B-side

 

They both have a second B-side as well, so that could determine which one is better overall. At least for me. It's tied right now. @__@ I think Flower is winning on the digital side of things, though. Not sure how well Happiness is doing.

[Mandilinn]

They do?!

 

Guess i hve to wait then~ teehee

Yep! Happiness' is " æ°¸é " ("Eien"/"Forever") and Flower's is "what I want...". HQ covers for both groups have been posted in their threads, too. \o/

[Mandilinn]

Make sure to vote for this set of pairs ^_^

 

http://onehallyu.com/index.php?/topic/11874-the-ideal-j-pop-artist-face-off-2013-round-1-pairings-5-and-6/

 

I have a feeling it'll be really close between Hitomi and SPYAIR up till the end...

[Mandilinn]

Ailee's new video is so Beyonce, like I can't name what exactly but I thought Beyonce the entire time, I'm wondering her company is the one who really wants her to do this Beyonce thing because as a performer on Immortal Song she's much more dynamic

 

It's really catchy though and I do like her comeback but I'm still replaying Taiyou to Himawari over and over again, I'm going to find the entire album and I hope it's better than her first mini

 

Is is better than her last title track? I eventually warmed up to that one, but I still don't listen to it very often.

 

Flower's song however I'll be playing for a long time. They've outdone themselves. I'm considering ordering a physical copy of both group's singles (because I like Happiness' version of Boyfriend better).

 

She has an amazing voice but the material they give her is just blah. I would like to see her work with some more dynamic people. 

 

Seems like the same trend as in the J-industry. They give the best vocalists the most generic material. =/ Crystal and Aisha are the only ones that have had good songs lately.