Legendary

They had it all and they blew it, completely. One got caught smoking, the other one got knocked up. For a mere 630 days or so, these two gals brought the wotas to their knees. For anyone who doesn't already know, this duo was called 'W'.

For a couple of little shits, they had some serious talent. It's hard not to look back at all their television appearances and music videos and see anything other than a couple of rambunctious little girls whose ambitions were to be their downfall.

In Tsuji's defense, she handled her pregnancy/shotgun wedding in the classiest way possible, and up until the graduation of the H!P Elder Club in March, was still a part of the organization.

Kago, my preference of the two, cocked-up royally and has paid a big price for it. She's made her own comeback of sorts, but it just doesn't live up to the hypothetical success she would have been had she stayed on the straight-and-narrow. It's nice to know she's alive and well (and, as expected, looking better by the day) but even if this comes off as harsh: she had TWO chances and she just couldn't cut it.

I've been over it many times in my own mind and as I've said, I'm glad they're doing well; unsurprisingly, I'm really not paying attention to either of them these days. Oh well, we'll still have W.

I don't think W would be quite as impressive, though, if they had stuck with it and were still around today. The fact that they no longer exist as a duo lends some sort of Jim Morrison/Kurt Cobain mystique to the group's works. Yeah, they're not dead, but quite the living example of the old adage 'you can't go home again'. While the girls live on and the image that was captured in that short time may linger on in the memories of fans, the group and its music are now legendary.

So, listening back to those short-lived memories is pleasurable and at the same time very melancholy. Because a lot of the group's music is either ultra-peppy or breathtakingly gorgeous, it's more properly categorized as an experience than just simply music or image.

Bottom line is, whatever they've done since as individuals, the demise of the group has only solidified their place as a force to be reckoned with. Kago and Tsuji just compliment each other, like cheese and wine, Lennon and McCartney, or fire and ice.

The end of W also meant the end of Mini Moni, as that group fell apart and left only these two standing. After which, they grew up at light-speed and left us all behind. Maybe someday they'll get back together and shock the world again, but it probably won't be the same. We've moved on from it out of sheer necessity and can only be left wondering 'what if?'

Does anybody know whether there are any W recordings beyond the two albums and seven singles they released under the group name? I'd like to know that either: my collection is complete, or there's more out there.

A Word About Favorites

I spent some quality time this week listening to Morning Musume's gigantic music catalog and along the way I had some revelations which I thought might serve as interesting reading.

Everybody knows (well, now you do) that if I HAD to choose an all-time favorite Musume, I'd choose Kago.  Why?  She liked to pull pranks and wasn't particularly into education.  After about a week of being shy, she had tons of energy and endless confidence.  She's got big, dark eyes and an infectious smile, and more often than not was funny as hell.  She did impressions of other famous people, some of which were terrible, and some were right on.  She played coy with the public, pretending to be oh-so-innocent but couldn't hide that gleam in her eye which only meant that she was trouble (in a good and bad way).  Also, her unmistakable voice has a nice 'bite' to it, so whenever she shows up on recordings you can tell it's her right away.  Even if I'm listening at the office, I still want to scream "Kago-CHAN!" in time with the music after her lines.

Now that I've said that, this post isn't intended to be a Kago-lovefest.  I'll have plenty of those on my own time because I've made my choice and no wota can tell me differently.  

In choosing a favorite, I'm not saying that I hate all the other Musume because it's simply impossible to do so.  I may like some more than others, but really, all 25 members throughout the group's history have made a positive impression on me and I wish the best to all of them.

Still, anyone who's followed this group has picked their own favorite (sometimes it changes) and I'd bet that the most common reasoning is that "she's better than the others".  I could say this about Kago, although many would disagree.  So is it all just in my head that every time I watch a video she stands out in the crowd?  Am I making it up that her voice is so much more unique than the rest of the group?  From a completely impartial perspective, I have to say yes.   At some point I made a conscious decision to be 'on the lookout' for Kago, so that when the video (or the song) is over, I can say smugly to myself that she was the standout, and the rest were just there to support her.  Other people talk about their favorite member and I think, 'are you crazy?'  

Why would anybody pick Yoshi?  She's got talent, but always seemed a little too boyish for me (which might be attractive to others).  Her voice is unmistakable if you're listening for it.

Why would anyone pick Yasuda?  She's got talent but always seemed a little too plain to me (which might be attractive to others).  Her voice is unmistakable if you're listening for it.

And so on.  Not to pick on those two, because I think that both Yoshi and Yasuda have made the group better, and again, all the members have done that.  So why are they not my favorite, and why do I not hear them as individuals when they sing lines of songs?  Because they're not Kago, and I'm not paying particular attention to them, that's why.

And, for a completely unknown reason, (eerily similar member) Tsuji never gets a high spot on my list of favorite Musume.  She's my second favorite W member, and W always scores consistently high on my favorite H!P group list.  She's my third favorite Mini Moni member (hey there, Mari-san!) and Mini Moni always scores consistently high on my favorite H!P group list.  But as an individual, I can only tolerate others when they say she's so great;  I just haven't felt that way.  This anomaly only proves my point that once you've decided who your favorite is, objectivity goes out the window.

Sometimes you get so caught up with a certain member that you forget that others are even in the group.  Some, of course, are actually more popular than others, and this depends on a lot of things which I won't even try to list.  All in all, Morning Musume is an interesting cross section of the celebrity marketing industry, a topic which could span several hundred pages of investigation;  and we, the consumers, aren't as diligent as that when we make choices.  No matter how hard the marketing folks could try to push their favorite member on us, we'd still decide on our own who is the most favorable.

So when I say that Kago is my all-time-favorite (if I HAD to choose), I know I won't be converting anyone else to my belief.  Maybe, though, she's one of the members you've 'forgotten about' (but not very likely in this case)  and you might start trying to notice her a little more.  

So if I say that Kamei Eri is my favorite current member -- and she may or may not be -- some who've forgotten about her might wonder what makes her so intriguing to me, and start to see why I would think that.  Of course, in the end, it's up to whether I think she's better than the others.

So go ahead and pick your favorite members from whatever group you're infatuated with.  Because I could agree or disagree, and any mention (good or bad) only keeps that person in the public eye.  As well, they (the marketers) demand that you do, so they can find out what works and what doesn't, so they can keep your wallet open and keep on owning your wota ass.  But oh, how great it feels to be owned.