One of the things I accidentally left out of my Things that Tick Me Off post is something that I suppose doesn't tick me off, but instead, puzzles me to no end. People who say that they 'hate' (no, I mean really, *hate*) a certain idol or idols, yet are just as much in love with their favorite idol as I am with Ms. Kayo Aiko.
People who worship one idol and outwardly despise another... these are people that I don't want to know, really. For example, there are plenty of Kusumi-haters out there (you know who you are, you heartless bastards!), and also, plenty of people who love to hate Ms. Mitsui Aika (pictured above). When I look at that picture I don't feel anything even approaching animosity. I used to be indifferent to Aika, because to me she was relatively unknown and there were plenty of other Musume to focus on.
Look at my track record so far... I reviewed the Girls Box Movie (and liked it), brought up some of my favorites: SPEED, Perfume and Capsule, every Morning Musume album, Slayer... and I had good things to say about all of them. So why post a picture of Aika and say anything negative about her? Well, I'm not going to. I like Mitsui, and I like her alot. Damn right I do.
Yeah, I could nitpick and deconstruct her, mention how she's not as good of a dancer or singer as (insert random Musume here). I could talk about how the nickname 'Moonface' is seemingly apt -- Paul, we need another Chris post -- or how she actually did look kinda scary to me when she joined up... maybe it's all those teeth, she looks like she *does* bite:
..and if she does, well, no cutting into the queue! I'm in my rightful place, waiting to get bitten. But I digress.
Bringing up such a polarizing personality as Ms. Mitsui might get a reaction from some people, good or bad. I've been on both sides of the fence with her, from in the past possibly wishing she'd go away, to now, where I'm contemplating starting a site dedicated to her... hmm, moonface.blogspot.com? Naw, I just don't have the time; besides, if anyone, it's Saito Michi, then Nacchan, then a toss up between Sasaki Nozomi or Ogura Yuko.
I remember buying some °C-ute songs from iTunes, looking at the cover, and wondering, 'who *are* these people?' Some of them, I swore, I would not be a big fan of, especially Chisato, with this haircut:
I tried to think positively, that she was just as much a part of the group as all the rest, bad haircut and photograph and all. I just couldn't get past how boyish and strange she looked. Luckily, my reaction wasn't enough to go online and trumpet how much I despised her, nor ask ad nauseam, 'what's up with *this chick*?' By that point I'd had enough experience to know that if she was any good, I'd find out sooner or later. Nowadays, her signature adorns my wall, along with those of the rest of the °C-ute ensemble. And I treasure it. Chisato, sweetheart -- you ever need a place to crash, lemme know...
So after that ordeal, and seeing Mitsui Aika in a swimsuit (yowza!), it's not like I'm going to disown her as a Musume or as a person. All readers -- love her or hate her -- I'll say 'hi' for ya when I see her in Los Angeles.
Sorry, but this blog will remain a place of praise. Might be a little tiresome after a while if you keep reading my reviews and find out that I like everything I see or hear. Well, I don't, actually, and if you knew me better you'd be tired of my complaints by now. But when it comes to Japanese pop music and idol culture, I'm kind of biased.
My previous post mentioned how music is good for you, in a very real way. And I thought that finding Berryz Kobo, °C-ute, and Kusumi Koharu was a quasi-fountain-of-youth, bordering on the legend of Elizabeth Báthory in terms of extending my life without scientific proof.
With all the real things I have to complain about, Japanese pop songs (and the personalties behind them) are nice to have. Furthermore, none of these girls would hurt a fly (or you), unless they asked me to do the honors, whilst playing up the whole cute-and-scared angle.
So why all the hate?
It goes without saying that most of the internet is populated by well-meaning but loudmouthed teenagers who simply *must* project their thoughts into the world, whether those thoughts are rational or not. But even adults want to spread hate about their least-favorite idol, and these are the people I'm speaking out against.
If you can't stand Japanese pop, fine; but please, don't be a hypocrite. I'm already puzzled enough.
For the last time, then, here goes. If you're a Jpop lover, but still claim to hate certain idols, I've got to call you out, here and now. Of all the things you might have reason to complain about, why are you so down on some teenage girl from Japan who sings and acts cute?
Are you more attractive than she is? Are you worth more as a person than she is?
Then why the heck aren't people watching your videos and buying your records?
Again, love to Ms. Mitsui Aika, even if it makes me seem uninteresting. Seriously, why do you harbor hatred for specific little Japanese girls?
As a postscript, does anyone know Mitsui's 'concert color'? Or, For-The-Win, can anyone point me to a list of *all* the Musume's colors? I want to show my support (and recognize others' allegiances) at AX, 48 days from today.