Harsh...

[cybermoomba]

how old are you truehappiness? I see nothing wrong with those pics.

[greggerz189]

Hm...I think they're a bit racy. Now nobody get their panties all in a bunch because I said that. I'm not calling Kuu the w h o r e of Japanese Music or anything, I just wish she would tone things down a bit and focus more on her music and less on being sexy. I would expect to see something like what was in those pictures done by artists here in the United States, and it came as a surprise coming from Kuu who used to be pretty "clean." I just find it a bit shocking and a bit too much.

But like I said, sex sells. XD

[truehappiness]

Originally Posted by cybermoomba

how old are you truehappiness? I see nothing wrong with those pics.

I'm 16.

I said if you show them to like your mom or someone who isn't all 'omg wow i'm familiar with jpop'.. >> I really don't care about what she does LOL. Too used to seeing it everywhere. /gag

IMHO, they're the most compromising things I've seen a Japanese singer do.. [unless you can think of one who is still around today who does have those sorts of moves and all that..]

Western reviews from western people.
I bet she listens to country music or some crap.

it's not just Koda kumi she's bashing, truehappiness, but every one of this persons' reviews about JPOP contains something negative. Just ignore this person, they obviously have something against asian music. Let them listen to their american crap. She's the one missing out.

[truehappiness]

...you know, they aren't bashing music.. o-o;

You might be reading that really really negative guy's ones.. o-o

Just read this Shiina Ringo review by the woman who reviewed Koda's ..CD..

Originally Posted by Teresa Nieman

As you can clearly see, J-Pop Will Eat Itself is back. Francis Henville (the original author), however, is not. That would be where I come in.



Like my predecessor, I turned to the confectionary tunes of the East (not to mention their films), after growing bored with what most English-speaking musicians had to offer. As far as I can tell, I also more or less share Henville’s objective: shining a small spotlight onto the J-Pop scene, with hopes of acquainting the unacquainted.

It was about a year ago when I first heard of Shiina Ringo. A friend recommended her music, describing it as “avant-garde.” However vague a term that may be, I was expecting her songs to be pieced-together, art-damaged, achingly hip—and nine minutes long each. What I found instead, were obscenely distracted melodies that ranged from distorto-rock to off-putting hybrids of ska and lounge jazz, starring Ringo’s ever-present pitchy, rolling vocals. Right away—literally, after about 20 seconds of each track in iTunes—I decided to switch to something safer.

I can’t recall when, but eventually these songs popped up again in my playlist. Sometimes I’d be too lazy to change them. Other times, I suppose I didn’t notice it. After a couple of weeks, I was getting strange, near-subliminal urges to find more Ringo. Those songs—their catchiness—had lodged themselves firmly into some part of my brain. I even found myself humming (and, in some unfortunate cases, singing—I don’t even speak Japanese) along whether the songs were actually playing, or I was just in the shower. I had to have more. Within a few days, I’d managed to amass nearly her complete discography (excluding most of her time as frontwoman of the band Tokyo Jihen, where Ringo spends her time these days). With her solo career currently inactive, I thought it would be nice to take a look back at her unique sound and cultural influence over the course of six years and four albums. Shall we?

Shiina Ringo is a rarity in the Japanese pop music scene—she’s a female artist who not only pens her own lyrics, plays instruments, and makes relatively uncommercial music, but she also doesn’t shill products or have back-up dancers. Hers is a fame that no one (least of all her) would have expected.

The first thing you’re likely to notice when tuning into Shiina’s music is the impressively organic (not an electronic sound in sight… or rather, in ear-range) song composition. These are melodies that will hook you—maybe after several listens, maybe right away—whether you like it or not. It’s a talent that, by all accounts, comes naturally to her—and one she’s sustained throughout her entire musical career. This, in itself, is more than enough reason to give Shiina her props—which makes it all the more sweet to find out, for those of us who need English translations, that she is every bit as strong lyrically.

Shiina’s first album was the subversive Muzai Moratorium. It’s a strong set of tracks in which our heroine croons about (amongst other things) life as a struggling artist in the hectic city of Tokyo. This girl-with-big-dreams-in-the-city subject matter is most assuredly nothing we haven’t heard before. Yet somehow—between declarations of love to her guitar amp (“It's so rough / I get off on the smell of the Marshall”), and resentful, mother-directed predictions of her own success (“From tonight onward in this town / I, once the queen's daughter, am now queen”)—she makes them utterly fresh and compelling.

With her follow-up disc, Shousou Strip, Shiina segued into an ever so slightly more upbeat, rock/pop style. This would be my personal favorite of her (album) efforts. The standouts, “Byoushou Public” and “Benkai Debussy” are layered with vocal distortion, guitar flangers, and tricky bass lines. It’s basically Shiina letting her hair down and rocking the pants off anyone who will listen. Granted, neither of those became singles—the main attraction (as far as marketing goes) on Shousou Strip was “Honnou.” The PV for said single saw Shiina performing in a nurse’s outfit and making out with a female patient. Naturally, this image—Ringo, the hot and edgy nurse—became downright iconic. Oh, and it helped that the song was pretty good too.

After a two-disc set of covers (called Utaite Myoli), she released her last solo album, the atmospheric and contemplative Kalk Samen Kuri no Hana. It’s apparent from the lyrics that Shiina is at peace, and ready to move on to better things. A casual listener might guess she’d found love and happiness. An avid fan who’s looked into her personal life would know it to be true. “Souretsu” (“Funeral Concession”) proves that she’s not resting on her laurels, however. It’s an ode to the creative process, and a lament of frustration toward unfinished projects—with abortion as the obvious metaphor. “The courage to give birth, and then scrap something / A knife cutting through thin air,” she sings. “My remains have already been completely disposed of.” As the last song on the album, it’s a fitting, if solemn, epitaph to her solo career.

Lucky for us, there’s still Tokyo Jihen.

[Cyria]

The same woman's Namie article:

On first glance, Namie Amuro is a sheep in lion’s clothing. A mixed metaphor, yes, but such a thing is all-too-appropriate for the long-time J-Pop fixture’s musical stylings. Back in the early 90s when she was with the girl-group Super Monkeys (which eventually became Namie Amuro with the Super Monkeys, as she Beyonce’d her way to the frontline), and even a few solo albums after that, Ms. Amuro was the perfect, shiny idol for young’ns to look up to. It wasn’t until she released 2003’s Style—a disc smattered with hip-hop songs backed by various male rappers—and her work on the side-project Suite Chic, that this began to change. Her present, and self-appointed reign as the “Queen of Hip-Pop,” cemented it. This girl doesn’t match her appearance anymore.

See, stacked against her fellow titans on the Avex record label—such as wide-eyed, golden-tressed Ayumi Hamasaki, or aggressively buxom Koda Kumi—Namie is decidedly delicate-looking. Soft, ¼ Italian, ¾ Japanese features. A warm smile. Occasionally sporting a flower in her hair. Namie looks like a sweet young woman that probably makes a great parent to her 8 year-old son.

Then you see that infamous tattoo. It takes up most of her upper arm and spells out the name “Haruto,” in honor of her offspring. It’s sweet, but somehow still intimidating—like a Hell’s Angels member with “Mommy” inked on their bicep. The next thing you know, she’s singing about dipping it in the “Violet Sauce” (a not-so-veiled metaphor for the other feminine V-word, I‘d say) or wanting someone to kick her harder, kick her booty (“Alarm”). And I’ll be damned if she doesn’t pull it off effortlessly.

Before you guffaw at the thought of yet another perfectly groomed starlet digging her claws into the ever-growing hip-hop industry by trying to be all ‘hood—take into consideration: Namie may actually have earned it. She’s had her unfair share of misfortunes—and I don’t mean the “bad-hair-day” or “boo-hoo-I’m-famous” kind: messy parental divorce at the age of three, her mother’s murder in 1999, and a failed marriage of her own, for starters. She could be releasing singles about heavy subject matter like that, and no one would have any right to raise an eyebrow. But, no, Namie just wants to dance… and be the Queen of Hip-Pop. It’s this—seeing a bright, young ingénue weather her pitfalls throughout the years without so much as a stumble, to become a steady, veteran talent—that makes her so compelling. She’s tough—but doesn‘t force it on her audience, or feign rebellion. She’s vulnerable—but she would never admit it.

There’s always been something raw about Namie’s music. Even though she’s under the mighty thumb of Avex records, and her stuff is slickly produced—there’s something different at work. I hadn’t been able to pinpoint it until reading up on her history. It all makes sense now. There’s a wounded, but strong and beating heart running through every one of her songs; whether it’s about sex, love, money, or an American guy she’s crushing on.

The nature of J-Pop (I think we can all admit, it’s pretty silly stuff) often makes it near-impossible to see what lies underneath. Behind every cuter-than-life icon is—gasp—an actual person. Sometimes that person is as shallow as their image. Sometimes that person is Namie Amuro. Of course, you can never really know someone—much less a celebrity you’ve never met—based on how many biographies or fan sites you’ve read. But can you know them through their music, even when it’s mega-label pop as opposed to the self-penned, soul-baring kind? In this case, it sure feels like it.

It's possible so say something negative, even dismissive, and still be appreciative on the whole (I don't think my strong dislike of the H songs and that era's PVs means I can't call myself an Ayu fan). While this new reviewer finds that there are some things about Jpop that she doesn't like, she seems to be impressed with others.

By the way, how can I get to the index that has links to all articles in this series? It's probably something really simple, but I can't find my way there right now and I'd like to read the rest.

[truehappiness]

http://www.stylusmagazine.com/archiv...e=28&year=2004
http://www.stylusmagazine.com/archiv...e=28&year=2005
http://www.stylusmagazine.com/archiv...e=28&year=2006

Here you go. ;3

[Raleigh]

Harsh? Not really. Although some singles were good, the rest were simply hyped up. I skip most songs from her album because for me most are just mediocre fillers.

I didn't nessesarily mean bash. I meant only she says something negative. It seemed like the only word to fit in my sentence, and it does pretty much mean the same thing.

And I might just be reading the really negative ones. This lady does say a few things that are nice, but there's a lot of negativeness mixed up in there.

[truehappiness]

Well you have to view things from both sides if you're a good columnist.

It's not like they can just praise it.. ;p

[sxesven]

Originally Posted by cybermoomba

how old are you truehappiness? I see nothing wrong with those pics.

Of course there's nothing wrong with those pics (hell no! ), but in the light of pictures such as these I find it perfectly understandable that Koda Kumi is referred to oversexed, in the sense of 'with a large focus on her sexuality' (which seems to be exactly the way it was meant). It's not addressed negatively in the article, it's just observed, and it's a damn sharp observation at that. Koda Kumi = sex, end of story.

Western reviews from western people.
I bet she listens to country music or some crap.

it's not just Koda kumi she's bashing, truehappiness, but every one of this persons' reviews about JPOP contains something negative. Just ignore this person, they obviously have something against asian music. Let them listen to their american crap. She's the one missing out.

It's funny how this writer and these articles are constantly regarded as rather narrow-minded (which they're not), while half the posts I read here are at least twice as narrow-minded, if not more so. Get out of your Asian admiration bubble. Note, I'm not pointing fingers, nor will I do so, and I'm not specifically saying this applies to the posts I quoted.

[truehappiness]

People should read this statement as posted above by the Teresa woman who reviewed Koda's..thing XD

"Like my predecessor, I turned to the confectionary tunes of the East (not to mention their films), after growing bored with what most English-speaking musicians had to offer. As far as I can tell, I also more or less share Henville’s objective: shining a small spotlight onto the J-Pop scene, with hopes of acquainting the unacquainted. "

Far from 'omg haters' in my book.

[Keishi]

LOL
truehappiness, where did you get those caps? XD

The next thing you know, she’s singing about dipping it in the “Violet Sauce” (a not-so-veiled metaphor for the other feminine V-word, I‘d say) or wanting someone to kick her harder, kick her booty (“Alarm”).

this one was interesting
I've no idea Violet Sauce could have such meanings LOL now that explains the whispers in anotha recipe

[ayu_fan929]

Originally Posted by truehappiness

....ew. O_O; XD

A little too much information, hm?

And she's 'said' that she really doesn't like doing the sexy image LOL.. whether that's true.. /shrug

Certainly though, if you ask a normal individual what this


looked like to them.. I'm sure they'd be a bit.. '..O_O' XD Again, I know that she has her 'omg i'm so cute' side, but.. yeah at first glance she looks 'oversexed' O-o;

Well obviously if people keep on using those 2 images + Shake It PV, then yeah. But if someone else used her other PVs (like 'you' or something) then no. Overall, I don't think she's 'OVERsexed', I think she just uses the sex appeal. She might have overdone it here and there, but it's not always the case.

Here's what I can see people saying as 'oversexiness' of the ~second session~ PVs:
'you' - none
'Candy' - yeah, it's sexy, there's sexiness in it, but it's not overdone, imo
'Ima Sugu Hoshii' - I would say this is an example of oversexed
'Birthday Eve' - none
'feel'- yes, there's a couple of scenes, but I'd say about half of it isn't really overdone
'DDD' - same as 'feel'
'KAMEN' - none that I remembered
'WIND' - none
'Lies' - same as 'Candy'
'No Regret' - not that I know off
'Shake It Up' - same as 'No Regret'
'Someday' - it had snips of 'feel' and 'Lies' (and also 'you'), but I would say no.

I could understand people saying 'Ima Sugu Hoshii' being oversexed, and possibly maybe 'DDD' and 'feel'. 'Lies' and 'Candy' arn't overused, but there is the 'sex' theme in there.

Overall, are the album's PVs oversexed? imo, No.

Originally Posted by greggerz189

I just wish she would tone things down a bit and focus more on her music and less on being sexy.

She has though. 'Koi no Tsubomi' was a lot less sexy and the cover of '4 hot wave' isn't that sexy.

[*Petit*]

Originally Posted by ayu_fan929

She has though. 'Koi no Tsubomi' was a lot less sexy and the cover of '4 hot wave' isn't that sexy.

Did you see the PV preview of I think it was juicy....?

[ayu_fan929]

^Yes, but not the full version. I won't comment on it until I see the entire PV. There is a theme of 'sexiness' in there, but I can't say if it's overdone or anything. For all we know it could be sorta like 'Candy'.

[cybermoomba]

I guess we all have our own thoughts on what "oversexed" means.

@ sven

[truehappiness]

...didn't 'you' have her and that guy in bed together? o_O;

[PSYCHEDELICOdust]

Tastefully, anyways. That PV was cute. And sven = win.

[truehappiness]

Originally Posted by ChrisKay

LOL
truehappiness, where did you get those caps? XD


this one was interesting
I've no idea Violet Sauce could have such meanings LOL now that explains the whispers in anotha recipe

Some jpop bashing site. :/