At its conception, a rule of this blog was to not mention any other artists besides Aiko and after a long interval I finally figured out that this was unrealistic. As the old cliché goes, rules were made to be broken, and I've broken it four (count 'em, four) times so far just for reviewing the Girl's Box film. Maybe it appears I've gone on for too long about the film, but it is what it is and it's likely the most extensive, if not the ONLY review of this film in the English language.
My attention now turns to some other artists; the purpose is to show that I have other musical interests besides Ms. Kayo Aiko, believe it or not. Since some of the artists I want to talk about may already have a lot of English-speaking fans (or naysayers), I realize I'm treading on sacred ground with this. Before we get started, understand that I'm not trying to alienate anyone who feels otherwise about them, I'm just sayin'...
So: Kusumi Koharu, a.k.a. Koha-chan; the only 7th Generation member of Morning Musume, and the H!P solo artist with the longest (and most unnecessary) 'official name' (which is >deep breath<, 'Tsukushima Kirari starring Kusumi Koharu (Morning Musume)') as if 'Kusumi Koharu' just wasn't unique enough. I know what it means, of course, but what a mouthful.
It was only a couple of months ago that I bought her album 'Kirarin*Land' off iTunes, after hearing a sample of 'Konnichipa' and saying (to no one) "this'll scare the rats off the porch." Note that I have no porch or a rat problem, but if I ever do, "Konnichi pa pa, Konnichipa!" It was on a whim that I bought the whole album, really, and now it's hard to imagine a world without it.
From what I've read, most people either LOVE or CAN'T STAND Ms. Kusumi, and there's no room in between. Some people can get really mean when they talk about her and I can understand both sides of the argument. On the one hand, she *always* acts like, "look at me, I'm SOO cute, can you stand it?" She sings as if her audience is a bunch of 5-year-olds who've said, "we don't understand your language" and she's responding like most of us would and saying the same thing again, only LOUDER and MORE PRONOUNCED, because that does the trick, right?
Let's look at the facts. A lot of parallels have been drawn between Kusumi and Gottsan, in that (a.) they were both the only new member to join MM when they each joined, and (b.) both were considered to be the 'ace in the hole' by fans and management alike (though Gottsan has arguably done more for the group's popularity so far). After that, their similarities end. Gottsan, complete babe that she is, was far calmer about her looks; she was probably just as surprised at her sudden popularity as everyone else. And that's what attracted a lot of fans to her, I'm guessing, because she seemed so approachable and down-to-earth. Doesn't sound like Koha-chan at all, now, does it?
No, Koha-chan is an entirely different brand, but in her favor, she knows what that brand is and she does it well. It took a little getting used to for this wota, but in the long run, she could probably murder my dog in cold blood, (note: I have no dog, but if I did...) show no remorse, and my reply would be only that "what Koha has done is good!"
In summary, to all the people who love to hate Ms. Kusumi, I offer this: if you can't stand hearing catchy ultra-pop music sung by an unapologetic, completely extroverted girl who appears to have more than a few loose screws, this is not the musume for you. Instead, there are a variety of other musume (that we'd be happy to show you) which may be more suited to your taste. It's a big group.
Next, some firepower for those who love to love Ms. Kusumi. She acts like a crazy person but deep down she knows exactly what she's doing, so attached is she to your wallet. She knows that "OH-MY-GOD-LOOK-AT-ME-I'M-SO-CUTE-ALL-THE-TIME" is something that may come off as annoying to some, but she doesn't care about the haters. She'll just go on feeling *ten times* as cute and *ten times* as talented as the rest of the group, and nothing will knock her off that cloud, because it's arguable -- and not an outright falsehood -- that she is. In addition, as a singer I can vouch for her singing talent, as she uses a wide variety of vocal style and pronunciation (see 'talking to foreigners', above; see also "Konnichipa" for extremes of vocal manipulation). This makes her voice easily recognizable in the sea of helium-huffers better known as Morning Musume. (I'm a huge fan, don't get me wrong, but someone should tell them that their recording studio is filled with helium.)
Koha's not the best singer even in her talent agency. A listen to 'Sansan GOGO' shows that the other two girls in the group may have better control, notably in the second-verse line, "Omoikkiri ni suikon dara" sung by Sayaka. But as hard as they are trying to be noticed, they just haven't got the Star Power that Koha has, and in my mind, she's stealing the spotlight even *if* the others deserve it more.
Ah, Ms. Kusumi, you've got bigger fans than me, I admit. You're 16, which is a little below my tolerance level for the list of 'girls I like to stare at'... wait a minute... Risako (14)... Miyabi (16)... Saaya (14)... I'm kidding about that one. But if you've been paying attention, Aiko (22) is my ideal star. So I feel a little embarrassed about watching you kiddies run around, but when you and all the others I've mentioned get a few years older, look out! Also, note that I carry a huge torch for hiro; although she's now 24 she was 15 (!) when SPEED broke up.
So, the point to my ramblings (if there is one) is this: I started out thinking that Kusumi Koharu had some catchy tunes, and maybe I'd put them on once in a while. Well, I bought 'Kirarin*Land' and MilkyWay's 'Anataboshi' from iTunes, and after deciding it was really good, I bought her first album 'Mitsuboshi' from CDJapan, along with the 'PaPancake' single. While I may have had second thoughts about buying up all this Kusumi stuff, the three "People who bought this also bought" recommendations at the bottom of the CDJapan page were all Aiko singles. "Well," I thought, "I'm in good company." And I don't regret buying any of her stuff. I can put on an album and let it play, because nothing needs to be skipped. In fact, several days in a row I've listened to her entire catalog in the span of a few hours -- this is how listenable this stuff is to me.
Yes, I get lost in these recordings and consider them to be of highest quality despite any apparent flaws, because whoever chooses her songs has really made sure that they match her style and personality. It's also notable that a lot of her music *wasn't* composed by Tsunku.
But what Aiko fan wouldn't love a song called 'very! berry! strawberry!' or think that a song called 'Spaghetti' wouldn't be entertaining? For the record, 'Konnichipa' WOULD scare all the rats off your porch (and make your neighbors think that Myron Floren did some *weird* collaborations) and the sound of bursting fireworks at the end of 'Koi Hanabi' is so perfect, it gets me every time. If I had to pick a favorite, 'Olalala' would be at the top of the list; apart from it being a good chillin' tune, the faux French that she sings is simply beyond adorable. A new word should be invented to describe how adorable it is. Were it possible to hollow out the syllable "pa" from the line "nu bu zankiete pa" (Ne vous inquietez pas!), build a home there, and live in it, I'd live happily ever after.